George Lauterstien

copyright George Lauterstein 2002  copyright RightExposure 2009

In 1859 four prospectors discovered gold in a shallow California valley north of Mono Lake, where tales of riches had drawn them from their homes in the Mother Lode region. Joined by other gold hunters they mined briefly, until an unexpected November blizzard overtook the remote mining outpost and killed one of the discoverers. W.S. Bodey's wintry death gave the diggings its name. The spelling changed when a painter in the nearest town lettered a sign "Bodie Stables," and area residents thought it looked so much better than other phonetic variations that by 1862 "Bodie" had become the district's accepted name.1

Several financially backed companies acquired claims at Bodie, but by 1868 they had abandoned their mines along with the district's first two stamp mills.  Bodie is a great place to visit if you like to photograph buildings from the Old West.  The weather worn buildings are a favorite for black and white photographs.  Even the old nails on the street are part of the property so don’t be tempted to pick them up.  The dry conditions preserve much of this towns history.