Bodie ghost town: shadows of Far West on the Sierra Nevada

ORIGINAL POST FROM WWW.ITALIAPERDUTA.COM:

BODIE GHOST TOWN, OMBRE DEL FAR WEST NELLA SIERRA NEVADA

Often when talking about Ghost Towns the first image that comes to mind is that of an Old West village, a place now become a legend and a time, that of the gold rush, now become a myth. In the 19^th century more and more pioneers looking for fortune flooded the west of the United States, towards the frontier and towards unexplored lands where starting a new life was possible. Thus were the first deposits of gold and other precious metals discovered, and cities were built around the mines. Cardsharpers, cowboys, prostitutes, all overflowed these small towns in the middle of the desert, where soon rose saloons, playrooms, brothels and, yes, also some houses. With time, though, the mines ran out and these towns were abandoned as fast as they were built. Many ghost towns have been admirably restored and today have a great appeal, especially to the European visitor, who often knows about those years only from what they could see in Hollywood cinema. But to experience the prototypical Far West ghost town, Bodie is the way to go…

Lying in California, along the Sierra Nevada’s barren scope, Bodie can be dated back to 1859, when a certain W.S. Bodey found a nugget in a deserted zone over 2.500 metres of altitude. Soon a village was born from nothing. Its first winter was dire: the dead, the isolation and the difficult supplying drove many gold diggers to leave. Bodie, however, survived, and in 1879 it gave its inhabitants a very rich gold seam. In a few weeks the small town became the second most important city in California after San Francisco. It reached a population of 10.000 between adventurers, desperados, bandits, prostitutes and preachers…in 1880 there were as much as 65 saloons, countless brothels, a Chinese district and 4 cigar shops!

But Bodie certainly wasn’t an Eden… the miners were forced to work from 100 to 200 metres deep underground for 3 or 4 dollars a day. At the time, those who went to Bodie used to say "Goodbye, God, I'm going to Bodie". To counter its profane reputation, they decided to raise money for a Methodist Church, but no pastor ever wanted to come because the money came from brothels and opium bars. In Bodie everyday someone got killed, so much that the miners jokingly used to say "Well, have we got a man for breakfast this morning?"

In 100 years the mines of Bodie made 100 million dollars, until, in 1942, the War Production Board had the town abandoned. Only a dozen of “forgotten souls” kept living there, and 10 years later a fire set by a boy laid it to waste. 95% of Bodie burned, but a number of houses, now restored, a church, hotels, banks, the firefighters’ house, the funeral home, a school, a prison, the old mines and the lavatories (now the only available toilette for tourists!) survived. Luckily the renovation wasn’t overdone, and since then nothing has changed: it will really feel like being thrown back to the legendary Old West. Placed in a barren land, Bodie manages to be eerie and at the same time peaceful, immersed in the deepest silence, broken only by the occasional passing tourist. Most of the buildings are closed, and from the dirty windows some objects are visible as if frozen in time. In the houses in which it’s permitted to enter there’s crumbling wallpapers, dust, old gnawed armchairs, sinking floors, set tables, old Coca-Cola bottles and shop windows still dressed. The best-conserved building is the church, inside which is still kept an old organ. Everything is there but the townsmen, buried in the cemetery just out of town, often still wearing their boots.

Today Bodie and its surrounded are protected as a State Historic Park and taken care of by rangers. This writer visited Bodie 4 years ago and can confirm that the authentic ghost town charm and the feeling of breathing the air of the true Far West resides here, and is something that must be experienced.

TOURIST INFORMATION (map)

Bodie is along Route 270, 13 miles from Highway 395, near Bridgeport, north of Lee Vining towards Lake Tahoe. The final 5 kilometres to get there are on a dirt road, but easily practicable even without an off-road (taking precautions to avoid puncturing, because there are no services for miles around). In winter the road might be inaccessible due to the snow, so it’s best to go there between April and October. Be sure to have enough gas with you because there are no stations in the area. There are also no restaurants or fast foods, so bring along something to eat. Bodie can be visited in the summer period (May 15^th – October 31st) from 8am to 6pm and in the winter period (November 1^st – May 14^th) from 9am to 15pm. The price of admission is 7$ for adults and 5$ for kids. It’s also possible to partake in a guided tour by going to the Visitor Center in the city centre, inside an old building with a museum.

If heading to Lake Tahoe, one can stop for lodging in Bridgeport, a few miles north along route 270. If you’re instead going to the Yosemite Park and/or the Death Valley, Bodie can be reached within a day from both, even including a stop by the wonderful Mono Lake, one of the oldest lakes in North America with a saltiness level three times higher than the sea. The east entrance (Tioga Pass Entrance) of the magnificent Yosemite National Park is about thirty miles south of Bodie, and it takes about three hours by car to reach the centre of the valley passing through breathtaking landscapes. The incredible Death Valley National Park is a bit farther (about 5 hours by car), so it’s advisable to stop by LonePine, a small village deep in the wonderful Alabama Hills, where many Hollywood western movies were set. Here you may stay in the Dow Villa Motel, where John Wayne himself used to sleep.

For more information, visit the official website: Bodie State Historic Park.

For more pictures of Bodie, visit the gallery on our website and the video from the town’s official website.

Source: Routard.

Translation by Marco Salvadori

LINK TO ORIGINAL POST

Bodie, California, USA

Una breve divagazione su una affascinante ghost town americana. Si tratta di Bodie, un'antica città mineraria situata su un altopiano a est della Sierra Nevada, non lontano dalla Death Valley, in California.


Bodie nacque come città mineraria in seguito alla scoperta di un filone di oro nel 1859. Il suo nome deriva da W. L. Bodey, uno degli scopritori dell'oro che morì in una bufera nelle vicinanze.


Per circa 15 anni rimase un piccolo accampamento, ma nel 1876 venne scoperto un altro grande giacimento di minerali contenenti oro, e la città conobbe un incredibile boom economico.


Nel 1879, la sua popolazione era di quasi 7000 persone, e c'erano più di 2000 edifici. Contava più abitanti di San Francisco!


I profitti ricavati dalla miniera d'oro tra il 1877 e il 1880 ammontarono a circa 34 milioni di dollari di allora, una cifra incredibile, che portò Bodie ad essere la seconda città più importante della California.


Bodie, al massimo della sua espansione, contava qualcosa come 65 saloon lungo la via principale, Main Street, che era lunga 1 miglio. Baruffe, rapine, sparatorie e assalti alle diligenze erano all'ordine del giorno.

Al limite nord della città c'era anche un fiorente distretto a luci rosse, e vuole la leggenda che una prostituta di nome Rosa May divenne una vera eroina della città per le cure portate agli ammalati durante un'epidemia. Ma nonostante questo alla sua morte venne seppellita fuori dal cimitero cittadino, in quanto considerata una peccatrice.


Bodie aveva anche una China Town, la cui via principale era perpendicolare a Main Street e che contava diverse centinaia di abitanti cinesi. In questo quartiere erano molto diffuse le fumerie di oppio.


I lingotti d'oro prodotti a Bodie, venivano solitamente spediti a Carson City, in Nevada, e a San Francisco. Il viaggio era piuttosto pericoloso per via dei banditi e c'erano sempre scorte armate a proteggere l'oro.


La lunghezza dei viaggi, i continui furti e la paga dei mercenari di scorta alle carovane, limitavano però i profitti della miniera di Bodie.


La scoperta di altri giacimenti d'oro in luoghi meno impervi e più accessibili, come lo Utah, Tombstone, in Arizona e Butte, in Montana, portò i minatori e le aziende che investivano nell'oro lontano da Bodie.


Negli anni 80 dell'800, Bodie cominciò quindi a spopolarsi gradualmente, con i cercatori d'oro che lasciavano la città , la quale divenne meno malfamata e più orientata alle famiglie. Ne è testimonianza la chiesa metodista costurita nel 1882 e tutt'oggi in piedi.


Il declino della città proseguì nonostante la costruzione di una ferrovia e delle nuove miniere, tecnologicamente più avanzate, che consentivano di rendere l'estrazione dell'oro più redditizia.


Nel 1915 Bodie era già una città disabitata, nonostante le nuove miniere abbiano continuato a funzionare fino al 1942, quando, per via della seconda guerra mondiale, buona parte delle aziende che operavano in settori come l'estrazione dell'oro vennero riconvertite in produttori di armi e rifornimenti.


Oggi Bodie è un Parco Statale, un'area protetta e conservata. Le case vengono tenute in uno stato di "fatiscenza controllata", l'intera città è stata messa in sicurezza e tutto viene tenuto pulito ed in ordine.


Lo stato in cui viene tenuta la città contribuisce non poco a darle un fascino tutto particolare. Sembra di trovarsi in una città del mitico Far West dei film di Sergio Leone, piuttosto che in un luogo reale. Tutto a Bodie ha un'aura irreale e si respira un'atmosfera davvero unica, tantopiù che è stata spesso sfruttata come set cinematografico.


Questa città sospesa nel tempo, oggi viene visitata da più di 200.000 turisti all'anno, con un considerevole profitto per l'ente dei parchi statunitense. Ci auguriamo che possa diventare un esempio di come poter recuperare e valorizzare le nostre ghost town in Italia.


Tutte le foto sono state scattate da Chiara Salvadori, regista di Ghost Town, nel 2008.