Subdeacon Joe Posted November 6 Share Posted November 6 Throwback Thursday What A Town! Photographer Romanzo E. Wood visited Bodie in 1879 to photograph the rapidly growing mining town of Bodie. This view, looking west, shows mostly the north end of Bodie. Behind Main Street, in the foreground, you see the small cabins of Bodie’s red light district. Wood, who credited his photos, “R.E. Wood,” was a Massachusetts native who came to California on the Oregon-California trail in 1859. He traveled widely over the state, photographing not only Bodie and nearby Lake Tahoe, but also cities and towns up and down the California coast. His collection, held by California State University at Chico, includes over 400 wet-plate glass negatives and albumen photographic prints. We think you’ll agree the detail and sharpness in this photo is incredible. We’ll be sharing more of his photos in the months to come. Photo courtesy of California State University, Chico, Meriam Library Special Collections #ThrowbackThursday 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Original Lumpy Gritz Posted November 6 Share Posted November 6 Been there several times. Very special place the stays with you. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boggus Deal #64218 Posted November 6 Share Posted November 6 It’s no wonder Wild Bodie Tom used it as his alias. Damn, I miss him. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stump Water Posted November 6 Share Posted November 6 Interesting place. 8,400 ft. elevation. Subarctic climate. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Injun Ryder, SASS #36201L Posted November 6 Share Posted November 6 This is my favorite picture taken in Bodie! 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irish ike, SASS #43615 Posted November 6 Share Posted November 6 What makes Bodie so great to visit is its a time capsule. The buildings still hav e the furniture, store goods, tools, etc in them. The mill/mine shut down and everyone just left. Walked away and left everything behind. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdeacon Joe Posted November 6 Author Share Posted November 6 3 hours ago, Stump Water said: Interesting place. 8,400 ft. elevation. Subarctic climate. All the wood had to be packed in. From the Bodie Foundation FB page: About 300 cords a day were needed in Bodie not just to keep warm, but also to power the mining machinery. This photo of the first Standard Mill, an all-wood building built in 1877, is surrounded by piles of wood. The mill consumed 20 cords a day. One of the memorable people: Throwback Thursday Information about the everyday lives of the Chinese population in Bodie is scarce. We know that they suffered discrimination as they were not allowed to join the local labor unions to work in the mines. Their jobs in Bodie were mostly in support industries: transporting wood into Bodie, ordering shipments of fruits and vegetables to sell to local residents, and operating restaurants and laundries. The 1880 census recorded over 250 Chinese residents. After the boom years of 1877-1881, the Chinese population began to decline, although some remained into the early 1900s. A newspaper article from 1931 tells of “Bodie Tom” who died at “Elbow Ranch” on the East Walker River in Nevada. The land where this ranch was located is now part of Walker River State Recreation Area near Yerington, NV. “Colorful Character of Pioneer Days of Gold Camp is found dead,” the newspaper article begins. He was 80 years old at the time of his death. Bodie Tom “was respected through the years for his honesty and integrity. Earning his living by bringing wood to Bodie, on pack burros, from the high mountains, Tom had become a familiar figure to almost every resident of the famous gold camp during its better days.” The article adds that he hauled wood to Bodie for many years, “and with his savings purchased the Elbow Ranch several years ago.” In earlier years, he had married a Native American woman and lived in the hills near Bodie. They raised two daughters, who later resided in Mason Valley. At the time of his death, Tom’s wife had been dead for several years. The article adds that he continued to cut and sell wood “in spite of his rapidly waning years.” He had become ill and moved to the ranch about a year ago and hoped his condition would improve so he could return to San Francisco, “where he had spent his boyhood days.” Photo of Chinese hauling wood into Bodie, courtesy of Mono County Historical Society. #ThrowbackThursday #AsianPacificAmericanHeritageMonth 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forty Rod SASS 3935 Posted November 7 Share Posted November 7 With all that open land why did they build everything so close together, in some cases stacked ofrsharing walls/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdeacon Joe Posted November 7 Author Share Posted November 7 1 hour ago, Forty Rod SASS 3935 said: With all that open land why did they build everything so close together, in some cases stacked ofrsharing walls/ Why were most western towns built that way? Sharing walls means fewer materials needed. Close together means less walking, shorter distance to carry goods. This isn't farming or ranching country. Bodie was a mining town. Why build two miles away? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stump Water Posted November 8 Share Posted November 8 On 11/6/2024 at 3:00 PM, Subdeacon Joe said: All the wood had to be packed in. There was a narrow gauge railroad built to the town in 1881. Interesting map at wikipedia that you can zoom in on. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodie,_California#/media/File:BodieCaliforniaSanbornFireInsuranceMap1890.jpg 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrangler Bob Posted November 8 Share Posted November 8 Visited many times; never tired of looking around. My wife said she could "feel spirits" when walking around in Bodie. She even named a "rescue cat" Bodie [had a long life nearly 22 years]. Fun place, many good memories. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdeacon Joe Posted November 8 Author Share Posted November 8 34 minutes ago, Stump Water said: There was a narrow gauge railroad built to the town in 1881. Interesting map at wikipedia that you can zoom in on. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodie,_California#/media/File:BodieCaliforniaSanbornFireInsuranceMap1890.jpg If it brought in wood it's just a more efficient way of bringing in wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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