Saturday July 10,2010 Day 5... Bodie and Fishing

Another full day for thas group. Ed R., Steve and Butch went fishing again today and another successful day for them. With the catch from yesterday and today they had 23 fish to cook up tonight. Len, Paula, Gary, Phyllis, Betty, Danny, Pat, Jane, Dave, April, Dorothy, Garry, Ed and I took the trip to Bodie. Marilyn and Lynn stayed back at camp. The town of Bodie rose to prominence with the decline of mining along the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada. Prospectors crossing the eastern slope in 1859 to search for gold made a rich discovery. This huge gold strike later was known as the Comstock Lode started a wild rush to the high desert counry. By 1879 Bodie had a population of 10,000 and was second to none for wickedness, badmen and the worst climate out of doors. Only about five percent of the buildings remain. Today it is just as it stands just as time, fire and elements have left it a genuine California gold mining ghost town. Designated a state historic park in 1962, it is now maintained in a state of "arrested decay" I think everyone enjoyed seeing this town and the history.


One thing I would like to add, the cemetery of this town. Only those accepted as respectable were buried inside the fences. Others were buried in Boot Hill outside the fences with no markers. The ladies of the night and this town evidently had many, were not allowed in the fenced cemetery. The Chinese were also banned from the main cemetery. The quality of life must have been very harsh as the dates showed how young these people passed away. The ages of the deceased were under 49 years old and many were little children.


Tonight was suppose to be appetizer night, however Marilyn fed us all again, also all 23 fish were cooked as well. We had pasta, two different salads, fish grilled on the BBQ, french bread and a few appetizers. We all want to see where Marilyn and Garry store all this food. Again a big thanks for a fine meal and a big thanks for our fishermen that contributed the fish. We had a campfire tonight, a very pleasant and memorable day. Tomorrow is a free day and will report on those adventures tomorrow...


Until then.....

Pictures of Bodie Ghost Town