Rusted car in a state of arrested decay.
Yes, that is what they call Bodie, California today-arrested decay. In its heyday in the 1880’s, Bodie was a thriving gold mining town. Located 8,000 feet above sea level in the rugged Eastern Sierras , Bodie was , to quote one of its citizens “the worst climate out of doors”. But the worst climate wasn’t just the weather. With a peak number of 10,000 people, it had 65 saloons giving ample opportunity for robberies, hold ups, street fights and killings with monotonous regularity. One little girl, whose family was taking her to this remote and infamous town wrote in her diary: “ Goodbye God, I am going to Bodie.”
After the gold was gone and two fires devastated the town, it was abandoned for good in 1920 with only 5% of the buildings remaining. In 1962, the iconic ghost town was designated a state historic park. It is now maintained as the park service calls it “ in a state of arrested decay” leaving Bodie to its own fate as time and the elements slowly wear it down.
This is my photograph showing a rusting car among other worn man-made equipment during a cold, rainy and dreary day- a classic Bodie afternoon
