The Frontierado Holiday falls on Friday, August 1st this year, so here’s another seasonal post.
BODIE, CALIFORNIA – Gold was discovered there in 1859 by William (or Waterman) S. Bodey, the man that the subsequent town would be named for despite the spelling error made by a sign painter. For nearly twenty years, Bodie produced less gold than similar sites out west.
In fact, two companies would go bust while trying to make gold mining in Bodie profitable. However, in 1876 the Standard Company hit a very rich gold ore deposit, transforming the place into a proper Boom Town by 1878.
Even more precious metal finds in that year resulted in even more people flocking to the area and in 1879 the population of Bodie was estimated at nearly 10,000, with over 2,000 buildings. September of 1879 found the notorious female gambler/ gunslinger Eleanore “Madame” Dumont in town. She killed herself after being wiped out by one last losing streak after years of ups and downs. Continue reading
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