Inside creepy ghost town abandoned eight decades ago – with daring visitors warned of ‘curse’
EERIE photos inside an abandoned ghost town show a once booming area frozen in time.
Nestled in the hills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, Bodie was established in 1859 as a modest camp after gold was discovered in the region.
The town in California rose to prominence in 1876 after gold ore attracted settlers, and by 1879 the town had a booming population between 5,000 and 7,000.
In its heyday, the town boasted some 70 saloons, a bowling alley, dance halls, gambling halls, and numerous stores, hotels, and churches.
During this time, it was once California's third largest city behind San Francisco and Sacramento.
This time period was characterised by rowdiness, gambling, opium use, and regular, often deadly, bar fights.
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In fact, throughout California, a “Bad Man of Bodie” was a popular term used to describe someone of an unusually bad temper.
It is estimated that some $30 million (£23 million) worth of gold was extracted from Bodie's mines.
But by the 1880s promising booms in Arizona, Montana, and Utah had lured miners away, and the town began to decline.
A small mining community survived, but by the early 20th century most of its mines had closed, and the population had fallen to a few hundred people.
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A handful of residents lingered until the 1940s - effectively becoming a ghost town after the last mine closed up in 1942.
The area was designated a state park in 1962 and welcomes around 200,000 visitors a year.
However, the old town hides a dark curse.
Legend has it that the Bodie Curse will haunt anyone who removes any of the old artefacts from the town.
Park rangers have even received letters and packages from past visitors hoping to lift the curse by returning what they’ve stolen.
Today it is famous around the world as an authentic Wild West ghost town.
The town's main mine shaft has been barricaded shut since it was closed in 1913, and its 200 derelict buildings remain as they were left – scattered with decaying personal items and stocked with goods.
Visitors can explore the site on most days, and witness a rare and valuable snapshot of life there over 150 years ago.
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Bodie museum is open all year long, but the roads become inaccessible with snow, usually in October.
There is an entrance fee of £6.15 ($8USD) for adults and £3.84 ($5USD) for kids that can be paid in the Bodie Museum.
