View source for Bodie, California

{{Short description|Ghost town in Mono County}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2016}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name                     = Bodie
| settlement_type          = [[List of ghost towns in California|Ghost town]]
| image_skyline            = Bodie September 2016 019.jpg
| image_caption            = County Barn, Bodie, California
| image_flag               =
| image_seal               =
| image_map                =
| pushpin_map              = USA California#USA
| pushpin_label_position   = bottom
| pushpin_mapsize          = 190
| pushpin_relief           = 1
| subdivision_type         = Country
| subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in California|County]]
| subdivision_name         = United States
| subdivision_name1        = [[California]]
| subdivision_name2        = [[Mono County, California|Mono]]
| leader_title             = None
| leader_name              =
| area_magnitude           =
| area_water_percent       =
| population_note          =
| population_as_of         = [[2020 United States Census|2020]]
| population_footnotes     = <ref>{{cite web|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/map?q=total%20population&g=0500000US06051%241000000&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P1&mode=thematic&layer=VT_2020_100_00_PY_D1&cid=P1_001N|title=Mono County, California|work=2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)|publisher=US Census Bureau|access-date=2021-11-06}}</ref>
| population_total         = 11
| population_metro         =
| timezone                 = [[Pacific Time Zone|Pacific]]
| utc_offset               = −8
| timezone_DST             = [[Pacific Daylight Time|PDT]]
| utc_offset_DST           = −7
| area_code_type           = [[North American Numbering Plan|Area codes]]
| area_code                = [[Area codes 442 and 760|442/760]]
| coordinates              = {{coord|38|12|44|N|119|00|44|W|region:US-CA|display=inline,title}}
| elevation_footnotes      = <ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|1658094|name=Bodie}}</ref>
| elevation_m              =
| elevation_ft             = 8379
| website                  = [http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=509 Bodie State Historic Park]
| established_title        = Founded
| established_date         = 1876
| established_title2       =
| established_date2        =
| established_title3       =
| established_date3        =
| footnotes                = {{Infobox NRHP
| embed                          = yes
| name                           = Bodie Historic District
| nrhp_type                      = nhld
| nocat                          = yes
| designated_other1              = California
| image                          = BodieCaliforniaSanbornFireInsuranceMap1890.jpg
| image_size                     = 224
| caption                        = Map of Bodie, as of 1890
| location                       = California
| nearest_city                   = [[Bridgeport, California]]
| architecture                   = Various; Southwestern U.S. frontier-style, late-19th to early-20th century.
| added                          = October 15, 1966<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2008a}}</ref>
| designated_nrhp_type           = July 4, 1961<ref name="nhlsum">{{cite web|url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceID=118&resourceType=District|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071201155746/http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceID=118&resourceType=District|archive-date=2007-12-01|title =Bodie Historic District |access-date=June 16, 2008|work=National Historic Landmark summary listing|publisher=National Park Service}}</ref>
| designated_nrhp_type2          =
| designated_nrhp_type3          =
| designated_nrhp_type4          =
| designated_other1_date         =
| designated_other2_date         =
| designated_other3_date         =
| delisted_nrhp_type             =
| delisted_nrhp_type2            =
| delisted_nrhp_type3            =
| delisted_nrhp_type4            =
| visitation_num                 =
| visitation_year                =
| refnum                         = 66000213
| designated_other1_number       = 341<ref name=CHL />
| designated_other1_num_position = both
| designated_other2_number       =
| designated_other2_num_position = both
| designated_other3_number       =
| designated_other3_num_position = both
}}
|blank_name_sec1        = [[Köppen climate classification|Climate]]
|blank_info_sec1        = [[Subarctic Climate|Dsc]]
}}

'''Bodie''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|oʊ|d|iː}} {{respell|BOH|dee}}) is a [[ghost town]] in the [[Bodie Hills]] east of the [[Sierra Nevada (U.S.)|Sierra Nevada]] mountain range in [[Mono County, California]], United States. It is about {{convert|75|mi|0}} southeast of [[Lake Tahoe]], and {{convert|12|mi|0|abbr=on}} east-southeast of [[Bridgeport, California|Bridgeport]],<ref name=CGN>{{California's Geographic Names|}}</ref> at an elevation of {{Convert|8,379|ft}}.<ref name=gnis /> Bodie became a [[Boomtown|boom town]] in {{start date and age|1876|p=y}} after the discovery of a profitable vein of gold; by 1879 it had established 2,000 structures with a population of roughly 8,000 people.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bodie SHP |url=https://www.parks.ca.gov/ |access-date=2023-09-07 |website=CA State Parks |language=en}}</ref>

The town went into decline in the subsequent decades and came to be described as a ghost town by {{end date and age|1915|p=y}}. The [[U.S. Department of the Interior]] recognizes the designated '''Bodie Historic District''' as a [[National Historic Landmark]].

Also registered as a [[California Historical Landmark]],<ref name=CHL>{{cite ohp|341|Bodie|2012-10-10}}</ref> the ghost town officially was established as '''Bodie State Historic Park''' in 1962. It receives about 200,000 visitors yearly.<ref name="Engaging in California Ghost Town">{{cite journal|last=DeLyser|first=Dydia|date=December 1999|title=Authenticity on the Ground: Engaging the Past in a California Ghost Town |journal=Annals of the Association of American Geographers|publisher=Association of American Geographers|volume=89|issue=4|page=602|doi=10.1111/0004-5608.00164}}</ref> Bodie State Historic Park is partly supported by the Bodie Foundation.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/509/files/BodieSHPFinalWebLayout2016.pdf|title=Bodie State Historic Park|publisher=California State Parks|access-date=2020-03-10}}</ref>

== History ==

=== Discovery of gold ===
Bodie began as a mining camp of little note following the discovery of gold in 1859 by a group of prospectors, including [[W. S. Bodey]].<ref name=CGN /><ref name="Piatt book" /><ref name=Quivik>{{cite journal|title=Gold and Tailings: The Standard Mill at Bodie, California|first=Fredric L.|last=Quivik|journal=[[IA, The Journal of the Society for Industrial Archeology]]|volume=29|issue=2|year=2003|pages=5–27|jstor=40968626}}</ref> Bodey died in a blizzard the following November while making a supply trip to Monoville (near present-day [[Mono City, California|Mono City]]), never able to see the rise of the town that was named after him.<ref name="Piatt book">{{cite book|last=Piatt|first=Michael H.|title=Bodie: "The Mines Are Looking Well..."|publisher=North Bay Books|isbn=0-9725200-5-8|year=2003}}</ref> According to area pioneer Judge J. G. McClinton, the district's name had been "Bodey," "Body," and a few other orthographic variations. After a painter in the nearby [[boomtown]] of [[Aurora, Nevada|Aurora]] lettered a sign "Bodie Stables," it was then standardized to "Bodie."<ref>{{cite news|last=McClinton|first=J.G|title=Cold History Condensed|newspaper=Daily Bodie Standard|date=October 29, 1879}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|first=Warren|last=Loose|title=Bodie Bonanza: The True Story of a Flamboyant Past|location=New York|publisher=Exposition Press|year=1971|pages=26–28}}</ref>

Gold discovered at Bodie coincided with the discovery of silver at nearby Aurora (thought to be in California, later found to be Nevada),<ref>{{cite book | url=http://dwgateway.library.unr.edu/keck/histtopoNV/Origin_of_Place_Names_Files/1941NevadaOriginofNames-pt2.pdf | title=Origin of Place Names: Nevada | publisher=W.P.A. | author=Federal Writers' Project | year=1941 | page=50}}</ref> and the distant [[Comstock Lode]] beneath [[Virginia City, Nevada]]. But while these two towns boomed, interest in Bodie remained lackluster. By 1868 only two companies had built [[stamp mill]]s at Bodie, and both had failed.<ref name="Piatt book" />

=== Boom ===
[[File:Bodie California c1890.jpg|thumb|left|{{circa|1890}}]]

In 1876, the Standard Company discovered a profitable deposit of [[gold prospecting|gold]]-bearing [[ore]], which transformed Bodie from an isolated [[mining camp]] comprising a few prospectors and company employees to a [[Wild West]] boomtown. Rich discoveries in the adjacent Bodie Mine during 1878 attracted even more hopeful people.<ref name="Piatt book" /> By 1879, Bodie had a population of approximately 7,000–10,000 people<ref>{{cite thesis|last=Jimenez|first=Corri Lyn|title=Bodie, California: Understanding the Architecture and Built Environment of a Gold Mining Town|type=MS thesis|publisher=University of Oregon|year=2000|oclc=45825435}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bodiehistory.com/population.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090221155945/http://www.bodiehistory.com/population.htm|archive-date=February 21, 2009|title=What the Historic Record Reveals About Bodie's Peak Population|first=Michael H.|last=Piatt|access-date=February 15, 2009}}</ref> and around 2,000 buildings. One legend says that in 1880, Bodie was California's second or third largest city,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/509/files/2006flyer.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100202161735/http://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/509/files/2006flyer.pdf |archive-date=February 2, 2010 |title=California State Park employment flyer |url-status=dead |df=mdy }}</ref> but the U.S. Census of that year disproves this.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/1880a_v1-13.pdf|title=1880 California census}}</ref> Over the years 1860–1941 Bodie's mines produced gold and silver valued at an estimated {{US$|34{{nbsp}}million|link=yes}}<ref name=Chesterman /> (in 1986 dollars, or $85 million in 2021).

Bodie boomed from late 1877 through mid{{ndash}} to late 1880.<ref name=BodieEra>{{cite book|last=Smith|first=H.L.|title=The Bodie Era: The Chronicles of the Last Old Time Mining Camp.|location=Sacramento|publisher=California State Library|year=1933}}</ref> The first newspaper, ''The Standard Pioneer Journal of Mono County'', published its first edition on October 10, 1877. Starting as a weekly, it soon expanded publication to three times a week.<ref name="The Story of Bodie">{{cite book|last=Cain|first=Ella M.|title=The Story of Bodie|publisher=Fearon Publishers|location=San Francisco|year=1956|pages=17–18, 24|chapter=Development of the Mines|isbn=0548383987}}</ref> It was also during this time that a telegraph line was built which connected Bodie with Bridgeport and [[Genoa, Nevada]].<ref name="The Story of Bodie" /> California and Nevada newspapers predicted Bodie would become the next [[Comstock Lode]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Smith|first=Grant H.|title=History of the Comstock Lode, 1850–1920|location=Reno|publisher=University of Nevada|year=1943|pages=191–200}}</ref> Men from both states were lured to Bodie by the prospect of another bonanza.<ref>{{cite news | work=Virginia City Territorial Enterprise | title=Bodie has taken from us some good men, and that is not good for us | date=January 24, 1878}}</ref>

Gold [[bullion]] from the town's nine stamp mills was shipped to [[Carson City, Nevada]], by way of [[Aurora, Nevada|Aurora]], [[Wellington, Nevada|Wellington]], and [[Gardnerville, Nevada|Gardnerville]]. Most shipments were accompanied by armed guards. After the [[precious metal|bullion]] reached Carson City, it was delivered to the mint there, or sent by rail to the [[San Francisco Mint|mint in San Francisco]].

===Districts and amenities===
{{further|List of buildings in Bodie, California}}
[[File:Bodie Saloon.jpg|thumb|left|A saloon]]

As a bustling gold mining center, Bodie had the amenities of larger towns, including a [[Wells Fargo (1852–1998)|Wells Fargo Bank]], four volunteer fire companies, a brass band, railroad, miners' and mechanics' union, several daily newspapers, and a jail. At its peak, 65 [[bar (establishment)|saloons]] lined Main Street, which was a mile long. Murders, shootouts, barroom brawls, and stagecoach holdups were regular occurrences.<ref>{{cite book|last=McGrath|first=Roger D.|title=Gunfights, Highwaymen & Vigilantes: Violence on the Frontier|publisher=University of California Press|year=1987}}</ref>

As with other remote mining towns, Bodie had a popular, though clandestine, [[red light district]] on the north end of town. There is an unsubstantiated story of [[Rosa May]], a prostitute who, in the style of [[Florence Nightingale]], came to the aid of the town menfolk when a serious [[epidemic]] struck the town at the height of its boom. She is credited with giving life-saving care to many, but after she died she was buried outside the cemetery fence.<ref name=Sprague />

Bodie had a [[Chinatown]], the main street of which ran at a right angle to Bodie's Main Street.<ref name="The Story of Bodie" /> At one point it had several hundred [[Overseas Chinese|Chinese]] residents and a [[Taoism|Taoist]] temple. [[Opium dens]] were plentiful in this area.<ref name="The Story of Bodie" />

Bodie also had a [[cemetery]] on the outskirts of town and a nearby [[mortuary]]. It is the only building in the town built of [[red brick]] three courses thick, most likely for [[Building insulation|insulation]] to keep the air temperature steady during the cold winters and hot summers. The cemetery includes a Miners Union section,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bodie.com/history/cemetery/miners-union-cemetery/|title=Miners Union Cemetery|date=October 18, 2014|publisher=Bodie.com|access-date=2019-03-09}}</ref> and a [[cenotaph]] erected to honor [[President of the United States|President]] [[James Abram Garfield|James A. Garfield]].<ref>[http://www.hauntedhouses.com/states/ca/local-archive-california/_bodie-Cemetery-of-the-Week.pdf Wards Cemetery], Loren Rhoads</ref> The Bodie [[Boot Hill]] was located outside of the official city cemetery.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weeklypioneer.com/2009/07/rosa-may.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111206220627/http://www.weeklypioneer.com/2009/07/rosa-may.html|archive-date=2011-12-06|title=Rosa May|work=Weekly Pioneer|access-date=June 22, 2012|first=Lonnie|last=DeCloedt}}</ref>

On Main Street stands the Miners Union Hall, which was the meeting place for labor unions. It also served as an entertainment center that hosted dances, concerts, plays, and school recitals. It now serves as a museum.

=== Mining town ===
[[File:The Methodist Church.jpg|thumb|The Methodist Church]]
The first signs of decline appeared in 1880 and became obvious toward the end of the year. Promising mining booms in [[Butte, Montana]]; [[Tombstone, Arizona]]; and [[Utah]] lured men away from Bodie.<ref name=BodieEra /> The get-rich-quick, single miners who came to the town in the 1870s moved on to these other booms, and Bodie developed into a family-oriented community. In 1882 residents built the Methodist Church (which still stands) and the Roman Catholic Church (burned 1928). Despite the population decline, the mines were flourishing, and in 1881 Bodie's ore production was recorded at a high of $3.1 million.<ref name=Chesterman>{{cite book|last1=Chesterman|first1=Charles W.|first2=Roger H.|last2=Chapman| first3=Clifton H. Jr. |last3=Gray|title=Geology and Ore Deposits of the Bodie Mining District, Mono County, California|id=Bulletin 206|location=Sacramento|publisher=California Department of Conservation/Division of Mines and Geology|year=1986|page=32}}</ref> Also in 1881, a narrow-gauge railroad was built called the [[Bodie and Benton Railway and Commercial Company|Bodie Railway & Lumber Company]], bringing lumber, cordwood, and mine timbers to the mining district from Mono Mills south of [[Mono Lake]].

During the early 1890s, Bodie enjoyed a short revival from technological advancements in the mines that continued to support the town. In 1890, the recently invented cyanide process promised to recover gold and silver from discarded mill tailings and from low-grade ore bodies that had been passed over. In 1892, the Standard Company built its own [[hydroelectric plant]] approximately {{convert|13|mi|km|1}} away at Dynamo Pond. The plant developed a maximum of {{convert|130|hp|kW|0|lk=in}} and 3,530 [[volt]]s alternating current (AC) to power the company's 20-stamp mill. This pioneering installation marked the country's first transmissions of electricity over a long distance.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/bishop/restoration/rp_dynamopond.html|title=Dynamo Pond Project|work=Bishop Field Office|publisher=Bureau of Land Management|date=March 13, 2008|access-date=January 3, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111012131304/http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/bishop/restoration/rp_dynamopond.html|archive-date=October 12, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>
{{wide image|Bodie September 2016 panorama 1.jpg|x160px|Standard Consolidated Mining Company Stamp Mill|45%|right}}

In 1910, the population was recorded at 698 people, which were predominantly families who decided to stay in Bodie instead of moving on to other prosperous strikes.

=== Decline ===
{{US Census population
| 1880=5417
| 1890=779
| 1900=965
| 1910=698
| 1920=110
| 1930=228
| 1940=90
| footnote=Source:<ref name="moffat">{{cite book |last=Moffat |first=Riley |title=Population History of Western U.S. Cities and Towns, 1850–1990 |publisher=Scarecrow Press, Inc. |location=Lanham, Maryland |year=1996 |page=21 |isbn=0810830337}}</ref>
|1950=0|estyear=1951-2018|estimate=0}}
The first signs of an official decline occurred in 1912 with the printing of the last Bodie newspaper, ''The Bodie Miner''.{{clarify|reason=How was this a sign of an "official decline"? |date=September 2020}} In a 1913 book titled ''California Tourist Guide and Handbook: Authentic Description of Routes of Travel and Points of Interest in California'', the authors, Wells and Aubrey Drury, described Bodie as a "mining town, which is the center of a large mineral region". They referred to two hotels and a railroad operating there.<ref>{{cite book |title=California tourist guide and handbook: authentic description of routes of travel and points of interest in California |last=Drury |first=Wells |author2=Aubrey Drury |year=1913 |publisher=Western guidebook company |page=279 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yQtFAAAAIAAJ |access-date=June 16, 2009}}</ref> In 1913, the Standard Consolidated Mine closed.

Mining profits in 1914 were at a low of $6,821 (~${{Format price|{{Inflation|index=US-GDP|value=6821|start_year=1914}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}).<ref name=Chesterman /> James S. Cain bought everything from the town lots to the mining claims, and reopened the Standard mill to former employees, which resulted in an over $100,000 profit in 1915.<ref name="Piatt book" /> However, this financial growth was not in time to stop the town's decline. In 1917, the [[Bodie and Benton Railway and Commercial Company|Bodie Railway]] was abandoned and its iron tracks were scrapped.

The last mine closed in 1942, due to [[War Production Board]] order L-208, shutting down all non-essential gold mines in the United States during World War II. Mining never resumed after the war.<ref name="Piatt book" /><ref name=Quivik /><ref>{{cite book|last=Billeb|first=Emil W.|title=Mining camp days: Bodie, Aurora, Bridgeport, Hawthorne, Tonopah, Lundy, Masonic, Benton, Thorne, Mono Mills, Mammoth, Sodaville, Goldfield|year=1968|location=Berkeley, CA|publisher=Howell-North Books|oclc=448758}}</ref>

Bodie was first described as a "ghost town" in 1915.<ref>{{cite journal|first=Charles|last=Van Loan|title=Ghost cities of the West: Bad B-a-d Bodie|journal=Saturday Evening Post|date=September 21, 1915|pages=18–19|volume=55}}</ref> In a time when auto travel was on the rise, many travelers reached Bodie via automobiles. The ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'' published an article in 1919 to dispute the "ghost town" label.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Bodie Not Dead, Says Camp Representative|journal=San Francisco Chronicle|date=January 28, 1919|page=6}}</ref>

By 1920, Bodie's population was recorded by the US Federal Census at a total of 120 people. Despite the decline and a severe fire in the business district in 1932, Bodie had permanent residents through nearly half of the 20th century. A post office operated at Bodie from 1877 to 1942.<ref name=CGN />

=== Ghost town and park ===
In the 1940s, the threat of vandalism faced the ghost town. The Cain family, who owned much of the land, hired caretakers to protect and to maintain the town's structures.<ref name="Bodie: Even a ghost needs friends">{{cite journal|last=Finnegan|first=Lora J.|date=September 1993|title=Bodie: Even a ghost needs friends|journal=Sunset|volume=191|issue=3|page=71}}</ref> Martin Gianettoni, one of the last three people living in Bodie in 1943, was a caretaker.<ref>{{cite book|last=Watson|first=James|title=Big Bad Bodie|location=San Francisco|publisher=Robert D. Reed|isbn=1931741107|year=2002|page=27}}</ref>
[[File:Ghost Town - NARA - 543342.jpg|thumb|left|Bodie in May 1972]]
Bodie is now an authentic Wild West ghost town.<ref name="Engaging in California Ghost Town" />

The town was designated a [[National Historic Landmark]] in 1961,<ref name="nhlsum" /> and in 1962 the state legislature authorized creation of '''Bodie State Historic Park'''. A total of 170 buildings remained.<ref name="Bodie: Even a ghost needs friends" /> Bodie has been named as California's official state [[gold rush]] ghost town.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=GOV&sectionNum=429.7. |title=California Codes (420–429.8) |publisher=California State Legislature|access-date=January 3, 2013}}</ref>

Visitors arrive mainly via [[California State Route 270|SR 270]], which runs from [[U.S. Route 395 in California|US 395]] near [[Bridgeport, California|Bridgeport]] to the west; the last three miles of it is a dirt road. There is also a road to [[California State Route 167|SR 167]] near Mono Lake in the south, but this road is extremely rough, with more than 10 miles of dirt track in a bad state of repair. Due to heavy snowfall, the roads to Bodie are usually closed in winter.

[[File:BodieHotelatNight.jpg|thumb|right|Bodie is a popular destination for organized night photography, emphasizing the eerie nature of the park.]]

Today, Bodie is preserved in a state of [[arrested decay]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://hauntedus.com/california/bodie-ghost-town/ |title=Bodie Ghost Town |date=August 12, 2022 |publisher=Haunted US|access-date=November 9, 2022}}</ref> Only a small part of the town survived, with about 110 structures still standing, including one of many once operational gold mills. Visitors can walk the deserted streets of a town that once was a bustling area of activity. Interiors remain as they were left and stocked with goods.  Littered throughout the park, one can find small shards of china dishes, square nails, and an occasional bottle, but removing these items is illegal.

The [[California State Park]]s' [[National Park Service Ranger|ranger]] station is located in one of the original homes on Green Street.

In 2009 and again in 2010, Bodie was scheduled to be closed. The California state legislature worked out a budget compromise that enabled the state's Parks Closure Commission to keep it open. As of 2024, the park is still operating, now administered by the Bodie Foundation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bodiefoundation.org/ |title=Helping to preserve Bodie State Historic Park |publisher=Bodie Foundation |access-date=March 4, 2010}}</ref>

== Climate ==
[[File:Bodie old car.jpg|thumb|right|Bodie has many abandoned artifacts, such as this 1937 Chevrolet coupe.]]

Bodie is a rare example of the dry-summer [[subarctic climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]] ''Dsc''), with hot to freezing summers and long, snowy winters, and is part of [[Hardiness zone|USDA Plant Hardiness Zone]] 5.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.arborday.org/treeinfo/ZoneInfo.cfm?ZipCode=93517&submit=Look+it+up%21|title=Bridgeport, CA hardiness zone|publisher=Arbor Day Foundation}}</ref> Winds can sweep across the valley at close to {{Convert|100|mph|km/h}}{{Citation needed|reason=wind speed stat not cited|date=April 2012}}. Nights remain cold even through the summer, often dropping well below freezing throughout the year.

With an average of 303 nights below freezing per year, Bodie rivals [[Utqiagvik, Alaska|Utqiagvik]], [[Alaska]]'s 315,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?cabodi+nca|title = Bodie, California – Climate Summary}}</ref> and no month has ever been completely frost-free. The fewest nights below freezing in a month was two, the exceptionally warm August 1967, whose mean minimum of {{convert|38.8|F|C|1|disp=or}} was the highest during the twentieth century, although July 1896 had a mean minimum of {{convert|41.4|F|C|1|disp=or}}. Bodie's actual highest minimum on record is {{convert|60|F|C|1}} on August 1, 1968;<ref>{{cite web|url=https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=rev|title=National Weather Service – Reno, NV|author=National Weather Service Corporate Image Web Team|work=noaa.gov|access-date=March 3, 2016}}</ref> however, on average only two nights per year stay above {{convert|50|F|C}}, and minima that high have never occurred between September 14 and June 4.

The longest frost-free period is a mere thirty days from July 20 to August 18, 1901, but to illustrate the vast [[diurnal temperature variation|diurnal temperature range]], Bodie had as many as 98 consecutive maxima at or above {{convert|68|F|C}} between June 9 and September 14, 2007 – which included the record hot July 2007 with mean maximum {{convert|82.1|F|C|disp=or}}.

The harsh weather is due to a particular combination of high altitude ({{Convert|8400|ft|m|sp=us|disp=or}}) and a very exposed plateau, with little in the way of a natural surrounding wall to protect the long, flat piece of land from the elements. Plenty of firewood was needed to keep residents warm through the long winters. Bodie is not located in a forest, so lumber had to be imported from [[Bridgeport, California|Bridgeport]], [[Benton, California|Benton]], [[Carson City, Nevada|Carson City]],<ref name=Sprague>{{cite book|last=Sprague|first=M.|year=2003|title=Bodie's gold: tall tales and true history from a California mining town|location=Reno|publisher=[[University of Nevada Press]]|isbn=0874175119|oclc=50803672}}</ref> or [[Mono Mills, California|Mono Mills]].<ref name=GT>{{Ghost Towns of Northern California|135}}</ref> The winter of 1878–79 was particularly harsh and deadly. On average, there are 22.7 days with {{convert|80|°F|1}}+ highs, 19.6 days where the high fails to rise above freezing, and 35 nights with sub-{{convert|0|°F|1}} lows. The record high temperature of {{convert|91|F|C|1}} was set on July 21, 1988, while the record low of {{convert|−36|F|C|1}} was set on February 13, 1903, which also saw the lowest maximum temperature of {{convert|−4|F|C|1}}.

Average annual precipitation is {{convert|11.79|in|mm|1}}, with August on average being the driest month and January the wettest. There are an average of 60 days annually with measurable precipitation. The wettest "rain year" was from July 1968 to June 1969 with {{convert|22.18|in|1|abbr=on}} and the driest was from July 1999 to June 2000 with {{convert|6.24|in|1|abbr=on}}. The most precipitation in one month was {{convert|7.39|in|1|abbr=on}} in January 1901, and the most in 24 hours {{convert|4.57|in|1|abbr=on}} on February 12, 1895. Average annual snowfall is {{convert|93.2|in|m|2}}. The snowiest year was 1965 with {{convert|269|in|m|sigfig=3|abbr=on}}. The most snow in one month was {{convert|97.1|in|m|2|abbr=on}} in January 1969.<ref name=wrcc>{{cite web|url=http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?ca0943 |title=Bodie, California – Climate Summary |publisher=Western Regional Climate Center|access-date=March 4, 2010}}</ref>

{{Weather box
| collapsed =
| location = Bodie, California (1991–2020 normals,<ref>Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e. the highest and lowest temperature readings during an entire month or year) calculated based on data at said location from 1991 to 2020.</ref> extremes 1895–present)
| single line = Y
|Jan record high F = 61
|Feb record high F = 63
|Mar record high F = 68
|Apr record high F = 77
|May record high F = 82
|Jun record high F = 90
|Jul record high F = 91
|Aug record high F = 89
|Sep record high F = 88
|Oct record high F = 81
|Nov record high F = 71
|Dec record high F = 64
|year record high F= 91
|Jan high F = 40.9
|Feb high F = 41.1
|Mar high F = 45.3
|Apr high F = 51.0
|May high F = 60.9
|Jun high F = 70.8
|Jul high F = 78.3
|Aug high F = 77.5
|Sep high F = 71.1
|Oct high F = 60.8
|Nov high F = 49.4
|Dec high F = 40.9
|year high F= 57.3
|Jan mean F = 24.2
|Feb mean F = 24.9
|Mar mean F = 29.0
|Apr mean F = 34.9
|May mean F = 43.0
|Jun mean F = 51.3
|Jul mean F = 57.2
|Aug mean F = 55.5
|Sep mean F = 49.5
|Oct mean F = 40.3
|Nov mean F = 30.8
|Dec mean F = 24.2
|year mean F = 38.7
|Jan low F = 7.5
|Feb low F = 8.8
|Mar low F = 12.8
|Apr low F = 18.8
|May low F = 25.1
|Jun low F = 31.7
|Jul low F = 36.1
|Aug low F = 33.6
|Sep low F = 27.8
|Oct low F = 19.8
|Nov low F = 12.2
|Dec low F = 7.6
|year low F= 20.2
|Jan record low F = −27
|Feb record low F = −36
|Mar record low F = −22
|Apr record low F = −13
|May record low F = -4
|Jun record low F = 2
|Jul record low F = 12
|Aug record low F = 12
|Sep record low F = 1
|Oct record low F = -13
|Nov record low F = −25
|Dec record low F = −31
|year record low F= −36
| Jan avg record high F = 53.0
| Feb avg record high F = 53.4
| Mar avg record high F = 58.3
| Apr avg record high F = 66.4
| May avg record high F = 73.9
| Jun avg record high F = 81.2
| Jul avg record high F = 85.1
| Aug avg record high F = 83.6
| Sep avg record high F = 79.9
| Oct avg record high F = 72.9
| Nov avg record high F = 64.3
| Dec avg record high F = 54.0
|year avg record high F = 86.0
| Jan avg record low F = -15.0
| Feb avg record low F = -12.6
| Mar avg record low F = -7.8
| Apr avg record low F = 2.9
| May avg record low F = 10.5
| Jun avg record low F = 15.6
| Jul avg record low F = 22.5
| Aug avg record low F = 20.5
| Sep avg record low F = 14.0
| Oct avg record low F = 2.9
| Nov avg record low F = -7.7
| Dec avg record low F = -14.1
|year avg record low F = -19.8
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 1.79
|Feb precipitation inch = 1.50
|Mar precipitation inch = 1.31
|Apr precipitation inch = 0.98
|May precipitation inch = 1.14
|Jun precipitation inch = 0.57
|Jul precipitation inch = 0.63
|Aug precipitation inch = 0.60
|Sep precipitation inch = 0.22
|Oct precipitation inch = 0.52
|Nov precipitation inch = 0.96
|Dec precipitation inch = 1.60
|year precipitation inch= 11.82
|Jan snow inch = 17.4
|Feb snow inch = 14.5
|Mar snow inch = 22.3
|Apr snow inch = 5.8
|May snow inch = 4.5
|Jun snow inch = 0.6
|Jul snow inch = 0.0
|Aug snow inch = 0.0
|Sep snow inch = 0.1
|Oct snow inch = 2.5
|Nov snow inch = 10.6
|Dec snow inch = 15.6
|year snow inch = 93.9
| Jan snow depth inch  = 21
| Feb snow depth inch  = 25
| Mar snow depth inch  = 28
| Apr snow depth inch  = 16
| May snow depth inch  = 5
| Jun snow depth inch  = 0
| Jul snow depth inch  = 0
| Aug snow depth inch  = 0
| Sep snow depth inch  = 0
| Oct snow depth inch  = 2
| Nov snow depth inch  = 7
| Dec snow depth inch  = 14
| year snow depth inch =
|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
|Jan precipitation days = 7.6
|Feb precipitation days = 6.8
|Mar precipitation days = 6.0
|Apr precipitation days = 5.8
|May precipitation days = 4.9
|Jun precipitation days = 3.6
|Jul precipitation days = 3.6
|Aug precipitation days = 3.0
|Sep precipitation days = 2.0
|Oct precipitation days = 3.2
|Nov precipitation days = 5.0
|Dec precipitation days = 7.5
| unit snow days = 0.1 in
| Jan snow days = 6.7
| Feb snow days = 5.0
| Mar snow days = 5.9
| Apr snow days = 3.8
| May snow days = 2.0
| Jun snow days = 0.5
| Jul snow days = 0.0
| Aug snow days = 0.0
| Sep snow days = 0.1
| Oct snow days = 0.9
| Nov snow days = 3.1
| Dec snow days = 6.1
|year snow days =
| source 1 = NOAA<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.weather.gov/wrh/climate?wfo=rev |title = NOWData – NOAA Online Weather Data |publisher = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] |access-date = February 22, 2022}}</ref>
}}

== In fiction ==
* Bodie was the setting for the young reader's novel ''Behind the Masks'', by [[Susan Patron]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Patron|first=Susan|author-link=Susan Patron|title=Behind the Masks: the Diary of Angeline Reddy|date=2012|publisher=Scholastic|location=New York|isbn=978-0545304375 |oclc= 727710091 }}</ref>
* Kathleen Haun's historical novel ''No Trees for Shade'' (2013) is set in Bodie in 1880.<ref>{{cite book|last=Haun|first=Kathleen|title=No Trees for Shade: Bodie, California, 1880|date=2013|publisher=Aventine Press|isbn=978-1593308179 |oclc= 837952992 }}</ref>
* Key incidents in Chapter One of [[James Rollins]]' tenth [[Sigma Force]] novel, ''The Sixth Extinction'' (2014), span nearby [[Mono Lake]], the secret military testing site neighboring Bodie Park, and the ghost town itself, where terrorists attack a [[National Park Service]] Ranger and details unfold about both the area's significance to the rest of the plot.<ref>{{cite web|website=ScienceThrillers.com|title=New release book review: The Sixth Extinction (Sigma Force) by James Rollins|date=August 12, 2014|author=Rogers, Amy|url=http://www.sciencethrillers.com/2014/new-release-book-review-the-sixth-extinction-sigma-force-by-james-rollins/|access-date=November 29, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141209111253/http://www.sciencethrillers.com/2014/new-release-book-review-the-sixth-extinction-sigma-force-by-james-rollins/|archive-date=December 9, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* Bodie is the setting for the [[Kristiana Gregory]] book ''Orphan Runaways'' (1998).<ref>{{Cite book|title = Orphan Runaways|last = Gregory|first = Kristin|publisher = Scholastic|year = 1998|isbn = 978-0590603669|url-access = registration|url = https://archive.org/details/orphanrunaways00greg}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Bodie, Washington]]
* [[List of California state parks]]
* [[Rosa May]]
* [[Madame Moustache]]

== References ==
{{reflist|33em}}

== Bibliography ==
* {{cite book|last=Calloway|first=R.A.|year=1979|title=Bodie State Historic Park: resource management plan, general development plan and environmental impact report|location=Sacramento|publisher=Calif. Dept. of Parks and Recreation|oclc=21629664}}
* {{cite book|last=Jackson|first=W.T.|year=1962|title=Historical material on the mining town of Bodie, California: a critical bibliography|publisher=California Division of Beaches and Parks|location=Sacramento|oclc=58742626}}
* {{cite book|last=Johnson|first=R.|author2=Johnson, A|year=1967|title=The ghost town of Bodie, as reported in the newspapers of the day|location=Bishop, Calif|publisher= Chalfant Press for Sierra Media|oclc=1592631}}
* {{cite book|last=McDonald|first=D.|year=1988|title=Bodie, boom town-gold town: the last of California's old-time mining camps|location=Las Vegas, Nev|publisher=Nevada Publications|isbn=0913814881|oclc=21384472}}
* {{cite book|last=Morse|first=T.I.|author2=Joseph, L.|year=1990|title=Photographing Bodie: a photographer's guide to the ghost town of Bodie, California|location=Santa Barbara, Calif|publisher=Global Preservation Projects|oclc=54961458}}
* {{cite book|last=Piatt|first=Michael H.|year=2003|title=Bodie: "The Mines Are Looking Well..."|location=El Sobrante, Calif|publisher=North Bay Books|isbn=0972520058}}
* {{cite book|author=Retailers Protective Association|title=Delinquent list of Virginia City, Gold Hill, Carson and Reno Nevada, and Bodie, California|year=1880|oclc=28163028}}
* {{cite book|last=Wedertz|first=F.S.|year=1969|title=Bodie, 1859–1900|location=Bishop, Calif|publisher=Chalfant Press|oclc=27440}}

== External links ==
{{commons and category}}
* Official [http://www.bodiefoundation.org/ Bodie Foundation – A non-profit organization]
* Official [http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=509 Bodie State Historic Park website]
* [http://www.bodie.com/ Learn about and tour Bodie online] at Bodie.com
* [https://www.conservationgateway.org/Files/Pages/landfire-key-conservation.aspx LANDFIRE National Application Report: California's Bodie Hills] (conservation action plan)

{{Mono County, California}}
{{National Register of Historic Places in California}}

{{Protected areas of California|SP}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:California State Historic Parks]]
[[Category:Ghost towns in California]]
[[Category:History of Mono County, California]]
[[Category:Mining museums in California]]
[[Category:Museums in Mono County, California]]
[[Category:History museums in California]]
[[Category:Open-air museums in California]]
[[Category:Parks in Mono County, California]]
[[Category:Former settlements in Mono County, California]]
[[Category:Mining communities in California]]<!--post-1850s goldrush-->
[[Category:California Historical Landmarks]]
[[Category:Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in California]]
[[Category:National Historic Landmarks in California]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Mono County, California]]
[[Category:History of the Sierra Nevada (United States)]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1876]]
[[Category:1876 establishments in California]]
[[Category:Protected areas established in 1962]]
[[Category:1962 establishments in California]]
[[Category:Populated places on the National Register of Historic Places in California]]
[[Category:Symbols of California]]
[[Category:California Gold Rush]]