Historical Nonfiction

This is Brodie, California. It is located on the eastern slopes of the Sierras, near Nevada. One William S. Body found gold here in 1859, starting the town. His mining camp grew slowly from 1860 to the mid-1870s. But the discovery of several rich gold veins in 1876 started a rush to Bodie. At one point, there were 65 saloons at Bodie, a red light district and a Chinatown.  By 1880, there were almost 8000 residents. Two years later, most of the mines were worked out, and people started leaving. At the onset of World War II, the school and the post office were closed, and the last residents left town. Today, more than 150 well-preserved buildings remain. Bodie is a California State Park and is maintained in a state of “arrested decay”. 

(Source: )