On State Highway 120 at Taylor Canyon Road (Federal Road 1S17), on the left when traveling west on State Highway 120.
Established by the Nevada
Territorial Legislature
February 20, 1864
Rates of Toll
Wagon with two animals $1.00
Carriage and one animal $.75
Each additional animal $.25
Empty teams returning half price
Saddle animals each $.25 . . . — — Map (db m20732) HM
In October of 1863, rich silver discoveries led to the formation of Montgomery Mining District and Montgomery City which, although short lived, supported a newspaper, The Pioneer. There were no continuous veins found and mining operations . . . — — Map (db m3492) HM
On State Highway 120 near Yellow Jacket Road, on the right when traveling south.
This old building has listened to the sounds of civilization passing it’s door for 100 years. The sound of miner, horse and oxen, wagon and stagecoach, auto and plane have all contributed to this symphony of a century. This building has never been . . . — — Map (db m50032) HM
On Bypass Road, 0.2 miles California Route 270, on the right when traveling west.
Gold was discovered here in 1859 by W.S. Bodey after whom the town was named. Once the most thriving metropolis of the Mono Country, Bodie’s mines produced gold valued at more than 100 million dollars. Tough as nails, the “Bad Man from . . . — — Map (db m8437) HM
Near Main Street near Green Street, on the left when traveling east.
Pioneer banker and mining man born in 1854 and moved to Carson City, Nevada, in 1875. Shortly thereafter he and Martha D. Wells of nearby Genoa were married and moved to Bodie where he engaged in lumber, freighting, banking, and mining operations. . . . — — Map (db m54786) HM
Near Bodie Bypass Road, on the right when traveling east.
Men, women and children came from all of the U.S. states, and from the world, to live and work here during the Bodie heyday. At the height of the boom in 1881, Bodie claimed 65 saloons, 18 lodging houses and hotels, three breweries, wholesale . . . — — Map (db m89292) HM
On Bypass Road at California Route 270, on the right when traveling west on Bypass Road.
During the California gold rush, E Clampus Vitus was a fraternal order and benevolence society for miners. It was rumored to be one of the secret societies in the town of Bodie during its heyday.
Today, ECV is dedicated to the preservation of . . . — — Map (db m8493) HM
Near Bodie Bypass Road, on the right when traveling east.
In 1973, the Red Cloud's shaft house and adjoining structures were torn down. The head frame of the hoist works and some of the hoist equipment were moved here for safe keeping.
The Red Cloud Mine operation housed the equipment you see . . . — — Map (db m89294) HM
The old Levitt House which became The Bridgeport Hotel and is now the Bridgeport Inn was built in 1877 by Sam Hopkins for Hiram L. Leavitt. Weary travelers in the old west used this historic hotel as a stage and buggy stop to and from the Bodie gold . . . — — Map (db m211809) HM
Near Main Street (State Highway 395) at School Street.
Presented to the town of Bridgeport by J. S. Cain in 1914. Built in 1881 by J. Renault, machinist for the Standard Co. of Bodie, Calif. This cannon was never fired. — — Map (db m10323) HM
On North School Street at Bryant Street, on the right when traveling north on North School Street.
On this site stood the original office of the Bridgeport Chronicle - Union newspaper. In 1880, while still publishing the "Bodie Chronicle", the Folger Brothers, Robert and Alex, started the "Bridgeport Union". The first number of the Bridgeport . . . — — Map (db m37622) HM
Near Emigrant Street, on the right when traveling west.
Built in 1880, this historic building was used until October, 1964. Plans for a new school building called for the destruction of this one. It was saved by the Mono County Historical Society, the citizens of Bridgeport and Mono County. Through the . . . — — Map (db m10324) HM
Completed December 1, 1892, by the Standard Consolidated Mining Company, this hydro-electric generating plant began operation in October 1893. Electricity was transmitted over a 13 mile line to the mining company’s 20 stamp mill at Bodie. This . . . — — Map (db m49953) HM
Henry Hayes lived in the toll house building on this site and collected tolls beginning about 1880 and continued until the county purchased the road in 1915. State ownership occurred August 21, 1833. Tolls were 25¢ for saddle horsed, 75¢ for teams, . . . — — Map (db m49889) HM
On Court Street, 0.1 miles California Route 182, on the right when traveling west.
Located near this site was the first courthouse in the town of Bridgeport. Previously, the county courthouse was in Aurora (the county seat established in 1861) However, a state boundary survey completed in 1863 determined that town was actually in . . . — — Map (db m8545) HM
On Three Flags Highway (U.S. 395), on the right when traveling south.
On January 27th, a cold winter day in 1844, Captain John C. Fremont and his guide Kit Carson led a small band of half-starved men west past this point. They were in search of the fabled Buena Ventura River, which they believed would give them easy . . . — — Map (db m49887) HM
On Main Street at Sinclair Street, on the right when traveling west on Main Street.
On this site, Bridgeport's most sensational court trial occurred June 9th, 1891. Ah Quong Tai, a local Chinese businessman accused of the cannibalistic murder of Poker Tom, a well known Paiute Indian, appeared in court defended by two attorneys, . . . — — Map (db m37596) HM
Napoleon Bonaparte Hunewill and his wife Esther arrive in San Francisco from Maine in 1859, and early in 1861 they came to Aurora. Late fall found them building a home at Buckeye Hot Springs. In 1862, N.B. Hunewill has the Eagle Creek Lumber Mill in . . . — — Map (db m184672) HM
On U.S. 395 near Bodie Road (California Route 270), on the right when traveling north.
East of this site was located the Little Bodie mines. Organized in the 1930s it was composed of 5 mines or claims which produced high grade ore containing galena, pyrites, sulphide and gold valued at $12 to $15 per ton.
During its heyday the . . . — — Map (db m89290) HM
On Masonic Road, 0.3 miles west of Bodie Masonic Road, on the right when traveling west.
Although gold was discovered here in 1860, it was not until about 1900 that Joseph Green staked the rich Jump Up Joe Mine. On the Fourth of July, 1902, J. S. Bryan and Caleb Dorsey made an exciting find and called it the Pittsburg-Liberty to honor a . . . — — Map (db m37631) HM
Near Main Street (State Highway 395) at School Street.
Since April 1, 1881 with the trial of Morton, indicted for theft of gold bullion from the Standard Co. of Bodie, the scales of justice in this building have continuously weighed the problems of Mono County from infancy to this present day. This . . . — — Map (db m10322) HM
Alta Lodge No. 333, Free and Accepted Masons was chartered on October 15. 1897.
The original lodge hall was in the brick building at the corner of Hwy. 395 and Hayes Street. The Lodge moved to this location in 1955. An ever changing society . . . — — Map (db m49958) HM
Near Bryant Street at School Street, on the right when traveling west.
Since the formation of Mono County in 1861, six facilities have served as the county jail. This stone building was placed into service by Sheriff C.F. McKinney, Dec. 5, 1883, and became the 5th Mono County Jail. It replaced the wooden jail facility . . . — — Map (db m10364) HM
On U.S. 395 at Green Creek Road, on the right when traveling south on U.S. 395.
It began as the county hospital in Bodie in 1879. With the decline of Bodie in the mid 1880’s, the hospital was moved eventually to a site east of this monument and Highway 395 to the rear of the small meadow that you see. At that time it became . . . — — Map (db m11347) HM
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, . . . — — Map (db m148718) HM
Founded in 1860 by A. Horteshorne, Coleville played a major roll in the development of Mono County. It was once known as Centerville, Double Town (due to the high prices charged for supplies) and Amonia. It was finally named as Coleville after . . . — — Map (db m11342) HM
[Side-bar, top left]
General History
This gold mining claim was first discovered in 1898 and expanded by further discoveries of “veins of minimal bearing quartz” in the following years. In 1900 J.E. Canter discovered . . . — — Map (db m50082) HM
On Golden Gate Road near Three Flags Highway (California Highway 395).
The mine was discovered in 1903 and was owned and operated by various owners until 1939 when it ceased operations.
The total amount of bullion taken from this site is unknown. However, one owner did ship $12,000.00 in 1912. The gold vein was . . . — — Map (db m50083) HM
On State Highway 108 (Sonora Pass), 0.4 miles west of U.S. 395, on the left when traveling east.
Was established in 1951, in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service. One of the Corps most remote and isolated posts. The mission was providing cold weather training for Korea bound replacement personnel. The name changed to “Marine Corp Cold . . . — — Map (db m11919) HM
Carson’s Camp, first private resort in the June Lake Loop, was established by Roy Carson in 1916. The initial camp was in a tent “where fishing is always good”. In 1919 his wife Nancy became camp cook and housekeeper. The first building . . . — — Map (db m50143) HM
On North Shore Drive near Mount Vista Drive (Leonard Drive), on the right when traveling east.
Near this site was located June Lake’s first and only commercial mining venture organized in 1924. The district was composed of ten mines or claims, which produced high-grade ore of zinc, lead and silver.
During its heyday, the mines employed . . . — — Map (db m50033) HM
On Garbage Pit Road at June Lake Loop (California Route 158), on the left when traveling west on Garbage Pit Road.
During the 1930's in central Mono County, demand for gaming entertainment skyrocketed with the influx of hundreds of employees working on the Mono Basin Project. To accommodate the workers, many local bars and cafes installed slot machines. Although . . . — — Map (db m37585) HM
On Mill Creek Powerhouse Road at California Highway 395 on Mill Creek Powerhouse Road.
Not far from this site, in the early morning hours of March 7, 1911, a massive avalanche roared down the east slope of Copper Mountain and wiped out the town of Jordan. Eight people were killed including Robert Mason, the chief engineer of the power . . . — — Map (db m50074) HM
Near Saddlebags Lake Road at Tioga Pass Road (California Highway 120), on the right when traveling east.
One mile west is the site of Bennettville. Originally located as the Sheepherder Mine in 1874 by William Bruskey and relocated by Thomas Bennett, President of the Great Sierra Consolidated Silver Mining Company as the Tioga Mines. The claim and . . . — — Map (db m49968) HM
Surveyed in March, 1881, and completed in December, 1881 with materials hauled through Bodie to this roadbed, at a cost of one million dollars. This narrow gauge railway carried timber supplies 31.74 miles from Mono Mills to Bodie Station, rising in . . . — — Map (db m49928) HM
With the discovery of gold in the Mono Basin in the mid 19th century, ranches and farmsteads were established to supply fresh meat, dairy products, and produce to the mining communities of Bodie, Aurora, and Lundy. The De Chambeau Ranch provided . . . — — Map (db m89324) HM
[Main Marker]:
Site of the first major gold rush to California’s eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada, Dog Town derived its name from a popular miners’ term for camps with huts or hovels. Ruins, lying close to the cliff bordering Dog Town . . . — — Map (db m11586) HM
Near Cemetery Road, on the right when traveling east.
It took hard work, but homesteaders and settlers who came from Canada, Europe, Asia and other parts of the United States scraped a living from this tough land. Many had come to the Eastern Sierra in the 1870s and 1880s seeking riches from mining . . . — — Map (db m89326) HM
On Three Flags Highway (State Highway 395) south of Cemetery Road, on the right when traveling north.
In sight of this location is the grave of Adeline Carson Stilt, daughter of scout, guide and explorer Kit Carson. Called “Prairie Flower” by her father, and considered to be his favorite child, she came to the gold site of “Mono . . . — — Map (db m49966) HM
On State Highway 120 at State Highway 395/120 on State Highway 120.
On this site is the grave of the unknown prospector. A reminder of the great sacrifices made by our ancestors, who explored and settled the western frontier, and especially to the memory of each and all of the pioneers of Mono County, whose resting . . . — — Map (db m49976) HM
On Three Flags Highway (State Highway 395) at 4th Street, on the right when traveling south on Three Flags Highway.
The name of this community honors LeRoy Vining. In 1852 Lt. Tredwell Moore and soldiers of the 2nd Infantry pursued Indians of Chief Tenaya’s tribe from Yosemite across the Sierra via Bloody Canyon. They took back mineral samples and a prospecting . . . — — Map (db m49967) HM
About 1 mile N.E. of here lies Mono Diggins, the first extensive placer mining excitement east of the Sierra. Cord Norst is generally credited with being the discoverer on July 4, 1859. A town, Monoville, boasted a transient population of 500 . . . — — Map (db m49929) HM
These Plaques Featuring Little Known
and Forgotten Facts About Mono Lake
E Clampus Vitus
Bodie Chapter No. 64
Dedicated
September 13, 2013
Mono Lake - Land of Many Uses
Except for fishing, this "inland sea" has been a lake of . . . — — Map (db m72569) HM
On State Highway 120, 10 miles east of State Highway 395.
To meet the ever increasing demand for lumber and cord wood the Bodie Railway and Lumber Company was formed in February 1881. Timber was harvested from various tracts to the south. It was milled at this site and then shipped to Bodie on the railroad . . . — — Map (db m49977) HM
On California Route 120, 10 miles east of Three Flags Highway (California Highway 395), on the right when traveling west.
[The kiosk at Mono Mills displays a number of history panels that collectively illustrate the history of the Bodie Railway and Lumber Company.]
[Panel 1]
The Need for Wood
Rich in Gold, Poor in Wood
Bodie, situated in the . . . — — Map (db m50144) HM
On State Highway 120 at the South Tufa Area Entrance Road, on the left when traveling east on State Highway 120.
During the Cold War, Mono County was home to one of many remote facilities used by the US Military to test new weapons and weapons systems. A "secret military installation" operated by the US Navy was located along the south shoreline of Mono . . . — — Map (db m20739) HM
Near Picnic Grounds Road, 0.1 miles east of U.S. 395.
In July of 1915, the peace and quiet of Mono County was shattered when Sheriff James P. Dolan died as a result of gunshot wounds received while attempting to apprehend two outlaws who had terrorized ranchers a short distance from this location. . . . — — Map (db m11416) HM
On Cemetery Road, on the right when traveling east.
Drawn to California by gold, Louis W. (L.W) De Chambeau's father moved to Bodie from Ontario, Canada, in 1878; L.W. followed two years later when he was 18 along with other members of their French-Canadian family. L.W. purchased the ranch from . . . — — Map (db m89325) HM
On Tioga Pass Road (State Highway 120), on the right when traveling east.
Tioga Pass at 9945 feet is the highest automobile pass in California. The road to the pass was constructed in two parts. The first part was a wagon road, 56 miles long, going from Crane Flat on the west side to a silver mine on the east slope of the . . . — — Map (db m49970) HM
A distinctive local landmark and nationally renowned tourist attraction. It was the creation of - Nellie Bly O’Bryan (1893–1984), visionary, entrepreneur and long time resident of the Mono Basin.
Originally, located along US-395 north of . . . — — Map (db m10167) HM
On Viewpoint Road, 0.2 miles east of U.S. 395, on the right when traveling east.
East of this site was located West Portal, the largest of 4 'camps' or company towns, built in 1934 by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power for employees and their families who worked on the Mono Basin Project. At the height of . . . — — Map (db m8173) HM
“The Road to Broken Dreams”
The Tioga Road began as a rough track up the western slope of the Sierra to the mining town of Bennettville near Tioga Pass. Although built to promote mining in the wild high country, the road never . . . — — Map (db m49973) HM
On Lundy Lake Road, 7 miles west of U.S. 395, on the right when traveling west.
Home of the May Lundy Mine. Site of W. J. Lundy sawmill supplying lumber to Bodie in 1878. Organized as the Homer Mining District in 1879 by Wasson, Nye and Homer. Plagued by snowslides and partially destroyed by fire in 1886, Lundy's page of Mono . . . — — Map (db m37583) HM
On Minaret Road (Route 203) 3 miles west of Mammoth Lakes, on the left when traveling west.
Pioneering Eastern Sierra skier, visionary and entrepreneur, Dave McCoy's passion for skiing began in high school and soon thereafter he joined the Eastern
Sierra Ski Culb. In 1936, Dave was hired by LADWP as a hydrographer, conducting snow . . . — — Map (db m59340) HM
A distinctive landmark and gathering place used by many early inhabitants of the area for bathing, food preparation, ceremonial and medicinal purposes. It was named “House of the Devil”, by early explorers, for its boiling hot springs, . . . — — Map (db m2950) HM
On Convict Lake Road west of U.S. 395, on the right when traveling west.
Convict Lake and Creek are so named as the result of an encounter here September 17, 1871, between Robert Morrison, Benton Merchant and member of a posse of citizens, and three convicts who had escaped from the Carson City, Nevada, State . . . — — Map (db m19879) HM
Crowley Lake, widely known for its trout fishing, has yielded more than 40 tons of fish the first week of fishing season. It was named for Father Crowley, a beloved Catholic priest. who traveled this area extensively.
The White Mountain Range, . . . — — Map (db m72570) HM
On Old Mammoth Road, 0.5 miles west of Minaret Road, on the right when traveling west.
Originally hauled by mule teams from Mojave to Mill City in 1878 this Knight Wheel powered Mammoth Mining Company’s 20 stamp mill for processing gold ore until 1895, when it was relocated to Mammoth City.
This high pressure, low volume wheel . . . — — Map (db m2186) HM
On U.S. 395 north of Deadmans Creek Exit, on the right when traveling south.
In 1861 the burned and headless body of Robert Hume, a prospector, was found in a shallow grave not far from this site. Later, the head was located in a nearby stream (now known as Deadman Creek). Hume was last seen alive with his partner, . . . — — Map (db m615) HM
Somewhere near this spot is located the famous Lost Cement Mine. First discovered in 1857, the find was described as a ledge, "wide as a curb stone" of rusty, reddish cement, two thirds of it pure gold. Various circumstances prevented the original . . . — — Map (db m759) HM
On this site, opposite colorful Mineral Hill (now known as Red Mountain) where the Mammoth mines are located, stood the town of Mammoth City. In this gulch during 1878-79 sprouted a mining camp of perhaps a thousand people. Mammoth City – the . . . — — Map (db m50043) HM
This authentic log cabin was handcrafted by Mammoth Lakes pioneer Emmett Hayden from 1927 to 1938. The cabin was one of the first summer home permits issued by the United States Forest Service. Now a historical Museum, the Hayden Cabin is testimony . . . — — Map (db m50060) HM
On Crowley Lake Drive, on the right when traveling south.
The first permanent rope tow in the Eastern Sierra was built west of this site on the east slope of McGee Mountain. This predecessor of Mammoth Mountain ski area was constructed here in 1938 because of its dependable snow and nearness to a highway. . . . — — Map (db m2951) HM
West of this site was the eastern end of the Old French Trail (Fresno Flats Trail)/ Built by J.S. French, it was 54 miles long and a vital east-west route for supplies, mail, equipment and pioneers through the Sierra mountains.
It connected the . . . — — Map (db m50056) HM
Near Main Street (State Highway 205) at Thompson Street.
This historic building was originally built in Old Mammoth as a saloon. In 1914 the building was dismantled and moved to the Longears Ranch on the Owens River and reassembled as a line shack.
The building was discovered empty and in disrepair . . . — — Map (db m50059) HM
On Three Flags Highway (State Highway 395), on the right when traveling south.
extended from Bishop south for 100 miles. The valley was inhabited by Indians for many years. Joseph Walker in 1833 was the first white man to discover the valley. In 1845 John C. Fremont named the valley, a river and a lake, after Richard Owens, an . . . — — Map (db m50058) HM
Devils Postpile stands not only as an unusual geologic wonder but as a monument to the visionary efforts of a dedicated conservationist. In 1910, under U.S. Forest Service management, engineer Walter L. Huber received an application from mining . . . — — Map (db m63616) HM
During the heyday of Lake Mining District (1877-1881) there emerged one premiere drinking establishment – The Temple of Folly. It was the brainchild of Andrew J Murphy, who in October 1879 purchased the clothing store of Reinstien & Wolf, . . . — — Map (db m50061) HM
Mammoth’s famous gold mining boom began in 1877 and ended abruptly in 1881 when the Mammoth Mining Company’s property was sold at a sheriff’s sale. Miners have continued to prospect and mine Red Mountain on a small scale to this day. In 1927 the . . . — — Map (db m59473) HM
On Old Mammoth Road at Main Street (California Highway 203) on Old Mammoth Road.
The first resort facility in “New Mammoth” opened in spring 1938 by entrepreneur and pioneer residents – Frank Penny, Jr. and wife (Nora “Bob” Penny). Known as Penney’s Tavern, it would serve as the social center of the . . . — — Map (db m50039) HM
On Old Mammoth Road, on the left when traveling south.
This white picket fence surrounding a solitary headstone is a reminder of the hardships and sacrifices made by the early settlers of the Lake Mining District and, of enduring love and kindness.
The wife of pioneer Bryant M. Townsend - Julia, . . . — — Map (db m141465) HM
On Convict Lake Road west of U.S. 395, on the right when traveling west.
On February 19, 1990, a tragedy occurred at this site. Three boys from a local youth camp fell through the ice. Two counselors, David Myers and Randy Porter, U.S. Forest Service employee Clay Cutter, and Long Valley Fire Captain Vidar Anderson . . . — — Map (db m2895) HM
On Three Flags Highway (State Highway 395 at milepost 110.5), on the right when traveling south.
Commemorating the 75th Anniversary
of the placing of the pole and the raising of the flag on Centennial Bluff on July 4th 1876 by John Connell
Wood Larson and the Cole brothers.
1876 – 1951 — — Map (db m50084) HM
On Topaz Lane, 1.4 miles east of Three Flags Highway (California Highway 395).
Near this location, records show establishment of a post office at Topaz, Mono County, California, February 20, 1885. Discontinued in 1922, it was re-established in June, 1926. Nearby could also be found a school, way-station, blacksmith shop, and . . . — — Map (db m50086) HM
On State Highway 395, on the left when traveling south.
In Loving and Grateful Memory of
The C-130 Crew
Steve Wass, Craig Labare and Mike Davis
Who gave their lives to save
our community on June 17, 2002 — — Map (db m23036) HM
