Bodie in Mono County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Welcome to Bodie

The Wildest Camp in the West

Photographed by Meg B, April 9, 2018

1. Welcome to Bodie Marker

Glass covering the marker is aged making it difficult to read.

Inscription. Best known for its 20-below winters, scorching summers, and trigger-happy bad men. Bodie was once one of the most active mining camps in the West. The town flourished between 1876 and 1882 with over 30 operating mines, its own narrow gauge railroad, and a population of about 10,000. Among the inhabitants, Bodie's infamous gunmen stood out. Their fights and robberies good material for local newspapers.

Despite its reputation as the wildest camp in the West, Bodie was the most productive gold district in the Basin Ranges. The town faded after 1882, its decline hastened by two major fires, but some mining continued until World War II. Now, guns and mine whistles stilled, Bodie silently reminds us of much livelier times. Photograph above, Bodie in 1879; courtesy of the California State Library, Sacramento.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce.

Location. 38° 12.783′ N, 119° 0.9′ W. Marker is in Bodie, California, in Mono County. It can be reached from California Route CA-270. Located at the beginning of the dirt path leading from

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the parking lot to the town. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Bridgeport CA 93517, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in California’s Sierra Nevada.

It is also in the American Mountain West.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 9 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Life in Bodie (within shouting distance of this marker); The Red Cloud Mine (within shouting distance of this marker); Bodie (within shouting distance of this marker); Return to Bodie (within shouting distance of this marker); James Stuart Cain (approx. 0.2 miles away); Bodey’s Grave (approx. 0.2 miles away); Bodie and Benton R. R. (approx. 8 miles away); Aurora (approx. 8.2 miles away in Nevada). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Bodie.

Bodie Ghost Town image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Meg B, May 9, 2018

2. Bodie Ghost Town

View of Bodie from the marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Meg B, May 9, 2018

3. View of Bodie from the marker

Credits. This page was last revised on January 6, 2026. It was originally submitted on April 23, 2020, by Meg B of Chesapeake, Virginia. This page has been viewed 414 times since then and 25 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on April 23, 2020, by Meg B of Chesapeake, Virginia. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.