Sep 3, 2012 Last updated: 9/8/12 3:00pm PT
Day 3 finds us leaving Carson City, Nevada. Why did we stop in Nevada? It was on the way to Bodie, CA, an old mining ghost town, maintained in a state of ‘arrested decay’.
This was a highlight of the trip. Most ghost towns we see are usually one or two buildings, or aren’t really ‘ghost’, as people are currently living in them. Getting here was a challenge as the last 3 miles are unpaved, bumpy and dusty. And the elevation is over 8000 feet above sea level.
Only about 5% of the buildings remain from the 1880’s when the town thrived with a population of about 10,000 people. Gold was discovered here in 1859, and a mill operated here until 1938 (although I also saw a reference to 1941). This was one of the first places in the world to use a hydroelectric plant to generate power, in 1892. Of course the town burned down a couple of times, in 1892 and 1932, and the mill burned in 1898. Winters are brutal here with snow 20 feet deep and temperatures to -30F.
If you ever go here, drop the extra $2 for the booklet. It’s very informative.
When you click the picture to open this window, click the image to expand it to its full size, then scroll around to see it all.
Some buildings are better maintained than others.
Most buildings you cannot enter. Some have windows that you can look into allowing you to see layers of dust that could be 70 years old.
This is what’s left of the bank.
