[1] Bodie became a boom town in 1876 (149 years ago) (1876) after the discovery of a profitable vein of gold; by 1879 it had established 2,000 structures with a population of roughly 8,000 people.

[9] Bodie began as a mining camp of little note following the discovery of gold in 1859 by a group of prospectors, including W. S.

[6][10][11] Bodey died in a blizzard the following November while making a supply trip to Monoville (near present-day Mono City), never able to see the rise of the town that was named after him.

[10] According to area pioneer Judge J. G. McClinton, the district's name had been "Bodey," "Body," and a few other orthographic variations.

[23] Gold bullion from the town's nine stamp mills was shipped to Carson City, Nevada, by way of Aurora, Wellington, and Gardnerville.

As a bustling gold mining center, Bodie had the amenities of larger towns, including a Wells Fargo Bank, four volunteer fire companies, a brass band, railroad, miners' and mechanics' union, several daily newspapers, and a jail.

It is the only building in the town built of red brick three courses thick, most likely for insulation to keep the air temperature steady during the cold winters and hot summers.

Promising mining booms in Butte, Montana; Tombstone, Arizona; and Utah lured men away from Bodie.

[20] The get-rich-quick, single miners who came to the town in the 1870s moved on to these other booms, and Bodie developed into a family-oriented community.

Despite the population decline, the mines were flourishing, and in 1881 Bodie's ore production was recorded at a high of $3.1 million.

During the early 1890s, Bodie enjoyed a short revival from technological advancements in the mines that continued to support the town.

In 1890, the recently invented cyanide process promised to recover gold and silver from discarded mill tailings and from low-grade ore bodies that had been passed over.

In 1892, the Standard Company built its own hydroelectric plant approximately 13 miles (20.9 km) away at Dynamo Pond.

The plant developed a maximum of 130 horsepower (97 kW) and 3,530 volts alternating current (AC) to power the company's 20-stamp mill.

[29] In 1910, the population was recorded at 698 people, which were predominantly families who decided to stay in Bodie instead of moving on to other prosperous strikes.

[clarification needed] In a 1913 book titled California Tourist Guide and Handbook: Authentic Description of Routes of Travel and Points of Interest in California, the authors, Wells and Aubrey Drury, described Bodie as a "mining town, which is the center of a large mineral region".

[19] James S. Cain bought everything from the town lots to the mining claims, and reopened the Standard mill to former employees, which resulted in an over $100,000 profit in 1915.

Despite the decline and a severe fire in the business district in 1932, Bodie had permanent residents through nearly half of the 20th century.

[38] Only a small part of the town survived, with about 110 structures still standing, including one of many once operational gold mills.

With an average of 303 nights below freezing per year, Bodie rivals Utqiagvik, Alaska's 315,[41] and no month has ever been completely frost-free.

Bodie's actual highest minimum on record is 60 °F (15.6 °C) on August 1 of 1968;[42] however, on average only two nights per year stay above 50 °F (10 °C), and minima that high have never occurred between September 14 and June 4.

The harsh weather is due to a particular combination of high altitude (8,400 feet or 2,600 metres) and a very exposed plateau, with little in the way of a natural surrounding wall to protect the long, flat piece of land from the elements.

Bodie is not located in a forest, so lumber had to be imported from Bridgeport, Benton, Carson City,[25] or Mono Mills.