Bodie State Historic Park, Mono County, California, USA
Bodie State Historic Park, Mono County, California, USA (© Julien McRoberts/Tetra Images, LLC/Alamy Stock Photo)
Ghosts of the gold rush
In the ghostly silence of Bodie in California, United States, it feels like time stands still. This once-booming gold rush town was established in 1860. Bodie was named after W.S. Bodey, a prospector who discovered gold but tragically died in a blizzard before seeing the town's rise. When large deposits of gold were found there, it grew to nearly 10,000 residents, with saloons, dance halls and breweries lining its streets. But as the gold ran dry, so did the town's fortunes. The mines closed, the population dwindled and by 1915, the place was abandoned. Bodie's streets are now empty, its wooden buildings frozen in decay.
© Julien McRoberts/Tetra Images, LLC/Alamy Stock Photo