Bodie, California: The Ghost Town, Its Curse and Its Ghost Stories

Bodie sits at 8,379 feet in the treeless Bodie Hills of Mono County, about 13 miles off US 395 near Bridgeport. At its peak around 1879 it had perhaps 7,000 to 10,000 people and a reputation for gunfights and saloons. Today about 110 buildings remain, preserved by California State Parks in a state of arrested decay: not restored, not allowed to fall, with dishes on tables and goods on shelves where their owners left them.

It is a real ghost town in both senses. This guide covers its history, the true story of the Bodie curse, the ghost stories told about its houses and cemetery, and what you need to know before you make the drive.

History of Bodie

In 1859 a small party of prospectors, among them W. S. Bodey, found gold in the hills north of Mono Lake. Bodey died in a blizzard that November on his way to Monoville for supplies and never saw the town that took his name. For years the camp was small, until the Standard Company struck rich ore in 1876 and finds at the Bodie Mine in 1878 set off a rush.

By 1879 Bodie had perhaps 7,000 to 10,000 people and about 2,000 buildings; the 1880 census counted 5,417. Sixty-five saloons lined Main Street, and violence was common.

The boom was short. From 1880 miners left for newer strikes, and those who stayed built a quieter, family town. Electricity reached the mines from a hydroelectric plant in 1892. A newspaper first called Bodie a ghost town in 1915. In 1932 a fire swept the business district, and in 1942 a wartime order closed the last mine for good.

The Cain family, who owned much of the town, hired caretakers to protect it from vandals and souvenir hunters. Bodie became a National Historic Landmark in 1961 and a state historic park in 1962, when about 170 buildings were still standing. Around 110 survive today. The park receives roughly 200,000 visitors a year, and the nonprofit Bodie Foundation now helps run it.

The curse and ghost stories of Bodie

The curse of Bodie

The best-known story is not about a ghost at all. Anyone who takes something from Bodie, even a nail, a shard of glass or a pebble, is said to suffer bad luck until it is returned. Every week the park receives packages from people who say the curse got them, with the object and a letter of apology. A selection of the letters is on display in the museum.

The surprising part is where the curse came from. A park interpreter told KQED in 2018 that it was apparently invented by a ranger to stop visitors stealing artifacts. Staff now play it down and simply explain why taking anything harms the town: a returned nail has lost its place in history and has to be logged as stolen property. Whatever you believe, take only photographs.

The J.S. Cain house

The Cain house is the center of Bodie’s ghost lore. The story told on tours and in ghost books is of a Chinese woman who worked for the Cain family as a maid and nanny and lost her job after rumors about her and her employer. She is said to be seen staring from the upstairs windows, and visitors and staff who have stayed in the house have told of being pushed or having bedding pulled by an unseen hand.

We could not find any record that names her or confirms the story, so treat it as legend. It is still the house most visitors want to see.

The Mendocini and Gregory houses

At the Mendocini house people describe laughter and the sound of children playing in the yard, and the smell of Italian cooking with nobody in the kitchen. A ranger who lived there is said to have had his sheets pulled off at night. At the Gregory house an older woman is described sitting and knitting.

The Angel of Bodie

In the cemetery an angel-shaped headstone marks the grave of a little girl, and a story has grown around it: that she died in a tragic accident and that her spirit still wants to play with children who visit. Some versions name her as Evelyn Myers. Visit the cemetery quietly; it is a real burial ground for the town’s families.

The mines

Rangers and visitors have told of voices and screams around the old mine workings, and there is even a story of a white mule. The mines and the stamp mill are hazardous and fenced; see them only on an official tour.

Where to look

• The J.S. Cain house: on the main grid; look at the upper windows from the street.
• The Mendocini house: for the children’s laughter and cooking smells.
• The Gregory house: where the knitting woman is described.
• The cemetery: on the hill at the edge of town, with the Angel of Bodie headstone.
• The museum: the park museum, with the curse letters on display.
• The Standard stamp mill: seen on seasonal guided tours only; never enter fenced areas.

Visiting Bodie State Historic Park

From US 395, seven miles south of Bridgeport, take State Route 270 east for ten miles to the end of the pavement, then three miles of dirt road that can be rough. The park is open from 9 AM to 6 PM between May and October and 9 AM to 4 PM the rest of the year. Entry is $8 for adults and $5 for ages 4 to 17; bring cash as well as a card.

In winter heavy snow usually closes the roads, and the town can only be reached on skis, snowshoes or snowmobile in harsh, sub-zero conditions. Late spring to early fall is the time to go. There is no food, gas or lodging in the park and camping is not allowed, so fill up in Bridgeport or Lee Vining and bring water and layers: it is high, dry and often windy.

You can walk the streets freely and look through windows into houses left as they were. The museum is open in season, and stamp mill tours and history talks run when staffing and weather allow. The park allows day visits only and runs no ghost tours or overnight investigations. Do not collect anything, including rocks and plants; metal detectors and drones are banned, and dogs must stay leashed and out of the buildings.

• Visiting State historic park at 8,379 feet; the last 3 miles are dirt and winter snow usually closes the road
• Tours Self-guided town walks, the museum and seasonal history talks and stamp mill tours
• Hours and season 9 AM to 6 PM May to October, 9 AM to 4 PM November to April
• Tickets Adults $8, ages 4 to 17 $5
• Ghost hunting No: the park allows day visits only and bans camping, metal detectors and drones

Tips for your visit

• Go between late May and early October, when the road is reliably open and the park stays open until 6 PM.
• Arrive early or late in the day for long shadows and fewer people.
• Fill up with gas and food in Bridgeport or Lee Vining; there are no services at Bodie.
• Read the curse letters in the museum, then leave everything exactly where it is.
• Pair it with a night at one of the Mother Lode’s haunted hotels on the west side of the Sierra.

More haunted places nearby

• Calico Ghost Town: California’s other official ghost town, in the Mojave
• Historic National Hotel, Jamestown: a haunted gold rush hotel across the Sierra
• The Ahwahnee, Yosemite: a famous haunted hotel on the way west through Yosemite
• Haunted hotels in California: more haunted places to stay
• Haunted places in California

Sources

Facts on this page are checked against the official website, historic records and news coverage. Ghost stories are reported as staff, visitors and investigators tell them, and we say where records contradict a story.

• California State Parks: Bodie State Historic Park
• Wikipedia: Bodie, California
• KQED: This ghost town's 'curse' isn't what you think (2018)
• Digital Desert: The curse of Bodie
• Amy's Crypt: Bodie, ghost stories from a ghost town
• Wikipedia: Calico (Silver Rush Ghost Town designation)