How the gold rush created the most lawless town in the American West

Bodie, California

W.S. Bodey found gold in the hills north of Mono Lake in summer 1859. He worked with three other prospectors who kept their discovery secret until the following spring.

Bodey died in a November blizzard during a supply trip to Monoville. He never saw the town that would bear his name.

A sign painter in nearby Aurora spelled “Bodey” as “Bodie” on a stable sign, and the new spelling stuck.

The mining camp started small with only 20 miners by 1861. For 17 years, Bodie stayed tiny while other mining areas grew.

The Mine Cave-In That Changed Everything

Workers digging in a Bodie mine triggered a life-changing accident in 1875. A cave-in exposed a rich vein of gold ore hidden deep within the earth.

This strike caught the attention of mining investors. The Standard Company bought the mine in 1877, seeing major potential in what locals had missed.

Four business partners paid $67,000 for what became the Standard Mining Company. Their investment paid off beyond imagination.

The Standard Mine produced nearly $15 million in gold over 25 years. This unexpected wealth turned the forgotten camp into a Wild West boomtown.

Gold Rush Explosion Brings Thousands

Miners rushed to Bodie after hearing about the Standard Mine’s success. By 1879, between 7,000 and 10,000 people packed the mountainside settlement.

Buildings sprang up quickly. Around 2,000 structures covered the hillsides and valleys around the mines.

Some locals claimed Bodie was California’s second or third largest city. This wasn’t true, but it showed how fast the town grew.

Miners came daily from the played-out Comstock Lode and Aurora mines. Between 1860 and 1941, Bodie’s mines produced gold and silver worth about $34 million.

Mile-Long Main Street of Sin

Main Street stretched a full mile through Bodie. An amazing 65 saloons lined this road, serving miners at all hours.

The north end of town held a busy red light district where adult entertainers worked openly. Next to it, a vibrant Chinatown formed with laundries, vegetable gardens, and prohibited drug dens.

In 1881, Reverend F.M. Warrington called Bodie “a sea of sin, lashed by the tempests of lust and passion.”

Card games, roulette wheels, and dice tables ran day and night while miners spent their gold dust.

The Most Lawless Town in the West

Violence ruled Bodie’s streets from 1877 to 1883. Twenty-nine murders happened during these years, giving Bodie the highest murder rate of any American city.

Court records show only one person was ever convicted of murder. Most killings went unpunished because law enforcement couldn’t control the town.

Fights broke out so often that some days saw multiple deaths. Residents grew used to hearing gunfire echo between buildings.

The Bodie Standard newspaper reported the violence in detail. It often wrote about multiple shootings and stagecoach robberies happening on the same day.

The Bad Man From Bodie

Stories about Bodie’s dangerous men spread throughout California. Newspapers created the phrase “Bad Man from Bodie” to describe the town’s violent residents.

San Francisco papers printed wild tales about Bodie gunmen terrorizing saloons. These stories often exaggerated what really happened.

Headlines announced “Another Bodie Fighter Gets His Man For Breakfast” when killings occurred. These reports made the town famous for violence.

A well-known story tells of a young girl who, upon hearing her family was moving to Bodie, prayed: “Goodbye God! We are going to Bodie.”

Vigilante Justice Takes Control

Citizens formed a group called “601” to fight crime when law enforcement failed. The number supposedly meant “6 feet under, 0 trial, 1 rope.”

The group worked in secret, planning actions away from newspaper reporters. Members included business owners and miners tired of the constant violence.

On January 17, 1881, the vigilantes struck. They lynched Joseph DaRoche for murdering Thomas Treloar three days earlier.

DaRoche’s body hung with a note: “All others take warning. Let no one cut him down. Bodie 601.” The Bodie Standard newspaper argued that vigilante justice was sometimes necessary.

The Deadly Winter of 1878-79

Winter hit Bodie with brutal force in late 1878. At 8,379 feet above sea level, the town faced extreme mountain weather.

Hundreds died from cold and disease that season. Simple wooden shacks and canvas tents couldn’t protect people from sub-zero temperatures.

Dangers existed below ground too. Mine shaft supports collapsed, crushing workers. A powder magazine explosion killed more miners when stored dynamite blew up.

Bodie had few medical supplies and no hospital. Doctors worked with basic tools, unable to save many victims of cold, disease, and accidents.

The First Signs of Decline

Bodie peaked in early 1880, but signs of trouble appeared by year’s end. The boom that seemed unstoppable began to slow.

News of fresh gold strikes in Montana, Arizona, and Utah pulled workers away. The same miners who rushed in now rushed out to chase new opportunities.

Single men seeking quick wealth left first. They packed their few belongings and headed to the next promising boom town.

The town changed as people left. Bodie shifted from a wild frontier outpost to a quieter, family-oriented community. By 1886, fewer than 1,500 people remained.

Fires Devastate Bodie

Disaster struck in summer 1892 when a kitchen fire spread through wooden buildings west of Main Street. Residents rebuilt some structures, and the town survived.

A second, worse fire erupted on June 23, 1932. A 2½-year-old boy playing with matches started the blaze that sealed Bodie’s fate.

This fire burned about 95% of Bodie’s remaining business district. Wooden buildings from the 1870s boom years were destroyed completely.

Few people rebuilt after the 1932 fire. Most packed whatever survived and left town for good. The Great Depression made rebuilding impossible for most.

The Final Blow During World War II

Mining continued at reduced levels through the 1930s despite the fire. The Lucky Boy mine kept operating when other mines closed.

Everything stopped in 1942 when the government issued War Production Board order L-208. This rule shut down all non-essential gold mines to focus resources on the war effort.

Workers left to find jobs in defense factories or joined the military. Mining equipment sat unused as operations ended completely.

Mining never started again after World War II. The gold stayed underground while buildings above fell apart. James S. Cain, who arrived during the boom years, became the final major property owner.

Visiting Bodie State Historic Park, California

You’ll find Bodie State Historic Park 13 miles east of Highway 395 via State Route 270, near Bridgeport, California. The last three miles are unpaved but passable for most vehicles.

Pack water and snacks as no services exist in the ghost town. Bring sunscreen and layers of clothing since weather at 8,375 feet elevation changes quickly.

Explore over 100 buildings preserved in “arrested decay” including the church, schoolhouse, and mill. You can peek through windows to see original furnishings left behind.

Rangers offer guided tours of the stamp mill during summer months. Remember that collecting artifacts is strictly prohibited, even small items must remain in place.

Read More from WhenInYourState.com:

• Frozen in Arrested Decay Since 1942, This Wild West Town Shows Life Exactly as Miners Left It
• The 1839 Settlement Where America’s Greatest Gold Rush Began by Complete Accident
• This All-Black Pioneer Town Holds 116 Years of African American History in California