Talk:Bodie, California

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Some of the text in this article was derived from http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=509.

Some images that can be used when this article gets expanded:

--mav 07:24, 23 Jun 2004 (UTC)

Contents

[edit] Why is this the most authentic

"Bodie is now the Wild West's most authentic, intact ghost town"


I call shenanigans, why is it the "most authentic" ghost town. Most of the Western United states is littered with the remains of towns that failed for one reason or another. They were all authentic towns, they are all now authentic ghost towns. I'm not sure if there is a standard scalar for authenticity is, here can someone explain?
Wonko the Sane 18:30, 9 March 2007 (UTC)

I would call most a weasel word which will be replaced. Favored rewrite an authenic ghost town. Ronbo76 18:33, 9 March 2007 (UTC)


RESPONSE: Bodie is the West's most authentic, intact ghost town because almost every other historic western town suffered one of two fates. Either they crumbled and were vandalized into oblivion, leaving little more than foundations, such as Aurora and Rhyolite, or they were restored, becoming phony tourist traps, such as Virginia City, Tombstone, and Deadwood. Bodie is one out of maybe two surviving western towns from the 1800s that were actually abandoned, then preserved in their ghost town state.

Michael H. Piatt http://www.BodieHistory.com


Regardless of the URL cited, you are dealing with a superlative word that is referred as a weasel word here on Wikipedia. Weasel words should not be put in articles because unless the claim can absolutely be verified, the weasel words cause edit wars. There are probably more than just two authenic ghost towns out there and part of the Ghost Project of which I am a member on this wiki. Ronbo76 00:50, 12 March 2007 (UTC)


RESPONSE: The only other true ghost town that competes with Bodie is Bannack, Montana. Like Bodie, Bannack is preserved as a ghost town (neither restored, nor allowed to disintigrate) by the State, but I do not believe it has as many historic buildings. If you know of other authentic ghost towns with more intact buildings than Bodie, please list them.

Michael H. Piatt

That isnt the point ronbo was making...you cant say it is the most authentic, because in this case the degree of authenticity and which town is the most authentic is a subjective thing. Even if you could provide a million reasons why it is then you cant say it is. HOWEVER, i believe you could say something like "Bodie is held by some to be the most authentic wild west ghost town, however this is a subject of much debate" (thats assuming that it is a subject of much debate and that there is significant numbers of people that believe bodie is the most authentic, of course). I am going to delete the current statement because the way it is written is against wikipedia policy, but i hope someone with knowledge of Bodie will re-write it in a more neutral way.Trottsky 20:30, 21 May 2007 (UTC) Oh wait, i see it doesnt say that anymore, could have swarn it did...*sigh*

[edit] Reasons it became a ghost town?

Why not give reasons as to why the town became a ghost town? Im sure any readers are wondering this

Yeah... Ashibaka tock 03:03, 17 August 2006 (UTC)
Indeed! I was very disappointed by this. I can't understand why a thing that should be so obvious to have in this article, is missing. --Lo'oris (talk) 23:22, 17 November 2007 (UTC)

Or the year? Saccerzd 19:18, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Bodey, Body, Bodie or Bode

I understood that the founder was a German named Waterman (Wasserman?) Bode, pronounced bow-duh. If he was, the named was anglicized quickly to other spellings, as above, since most people would call him Bodey or something like that. I did hear the story that the town was named by an errant signmaker "Bodie", which spelling stuck to the city's name. Mr. Bode probably also assumed the English name William (was he a Wilhelm?) This story is derived from a book written on the history of Bodie, not a bunch of copy cat web sites. Magi Media 03:09, 17 August 2006 (UTC)Magi Media


RESPONSE: In 1879, Bodie's first historian said the discover was "W.S. Body" from Poughkeepsie, New York. One of the discoverer's former partners said he was "William S. Bodey" from Poughkeepsie. The New York Times in 1879 printed "Waterman S. Bodey" from Poughkeepsie. The trouble is, records in Poughkeepse list only "Wakeman S. Bodey" (somethimes spelled "Body") Nobody said he was German. For more information see Myth #2, http://www.BodieHistory.com/myths.htm

Michael H. Piatt

[edit] Bodie rank in 1880

From the 1880 census:

  • San Francisco 233,850
  • Oakland 34,555
  • Sacramento 21,420
  • San Jose 12,567
  • Los Angeles 11,183
  • Stockton 10,282

So, Bodie was hardly 2nd, at most 7th. No census data seems available for Bodie. hike395 06:39, 4 February 2007 (UTC)


RESPONSE: Despite solid research to the contrary, uninformed writers still repeat an old myth that Bodie once contained more than 10,000 inhabitants and it was the second largest city in California--second only to San Francisco. Census takers during Bodie's boom in 1880 counted only 5,416 inhabitants. (A recent researcher inventoried the 1880 census and counted 5,410.) The official total was immediately challenged by local newspaper editors, who claimed the enumeration was too small because they knew people whose names did not appear on the list. These newsmen estimated the population at somewhere around 7,000, maybe 8,000 at the most. (For the latest research see, http://www.BodieHistory.com/population.htm )

Michael H. Piatt


  • "Legend has it that a little girl, upon finding out that her family was moving there, prayed one night, "Goodbye God, we are going to Bodie." Oh indeed. Pretty tired old chestnut, I'd say. applicable to many "Wild West" towns. --Wetman 03:42, 9 March 2007 (UTC)
    • Googling for "goodbye god we are going to" (with the quotes) only turns up Bodie, for what that's worth. Robin Johnson (talk) 14:22, 9 March 2007 (UTC)
Still, it's such a familiar trope for a "godless town". Where has one heard this story before on the ghost town tours? The bogus sentiment may have made it more memorable to cynical ol' --Wetman 15:57, 9 March 2007 (UTC)


RESPONSE: It's impossible to know for sure if the expression "Goodbye God, we are going to Bodie" is true or not, but it appeard in an 1879 Carson City newspaper (probably rippped off from another newspaper). Even if the story was invented, it's definately part of Bodie's past. (For more information see Myth #6, http://www.BodieHistory.com/myths.htm )

Michael H. Piatt

[edit] Trivia

"Bodie, California" is not a song by Peter Gabriel

Not a song? is that significant? (anon.)

It's by Joyce Anderson, apparently. --Wetman 15:57, 9 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Arrested Decay

The arrested decay article says that someone has suggested it be merged into this Bodie, CA article. But I don't see any support for the merge in this talk page or arrested decay's talk page. If anyone wants to pursue that, do so on Talk:Arrested decay. Otherwise, I say the template be removed from the arrested decay article. LeSaint 21:47, 9 March 2007 (UTC)

Agreed. The idea is nonsense. Arrested decay has potential to be expanded and improved. There is no reason to wind it back. SmokeyJoe 23:38, 9 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] The rise and fall of Bodie

The articles does not say why the town was deserted. I guess it was because there was no more gold, but it does not tell. // habj 14:45, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

Yep! It should be written, it's not a trivial thing! --Lo'oris (talk) 23:24, 17 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] last few miles out were unpaved / pretty bumpy

I was thinking of adding a qualifying phrase to the last paragraph in the article about the road out to the town:

the last 3-4 miles of which are unpaved, and rough driving even in good weather

but that would be too much original research, since I can't remember having seen it printed anywhere. It was definitely worth seeing and of historical value but the degree of workout for the old automotive suspension was an unpleasant surprise after the first 15 miles out. I doubt it did my car any good. Some people might mind less than others. Probably no coincidence that there is no plan to change that--mother nature's speed bumps. -Onceler (talk) 01:49, 6 December 2007 (UTC)