BODIE GOLD RUSH TOWN

A Gold Rush Town

Bodie grew rapidly after gold was discovered in the late nineteenth century. Miners, merchants, and families arrived seeking work and opportunity.

Life at High Elevation

The town sits high in the Sierra Nevada foothills. Cold winters and isolation shaped daily routines and building design.

Boom & Decline

As gold production slowed, residents left Bodie. Businesses closed and the population dropped within a few decades.

Preserved  in Arrested Decay

Many buildings remain as they were left. Furniture, tools, and shops offer a direct look at everyday life in a mining town.

A State Historic Park

Today, Bodie is protected as a historic site. It helps explain how resource driven settlements rise and fade over time.