Life, in a Ghost Town?

Growing up around mines and ghost towns can be a curious thing.  When your home base is in the southern most part of Arizona, in a tiny town, then 30 miles into the hills from that town (in the middle of nowhere) there are things you begin to see and feel...

Things you begin to see and feel in that vast emptiness, of people who have been there before you.  Traces they have left behind...

      

(Life in a Ghost Town Image:  Richard Rizzo) 

We lived in California in summers.  We traveled during the summer too.  But Arizona/Northern Mexico is where we made our daily life...

When I was a young girl, before I had siblings, my father bought land in a place called Vista Del Cielo (in Southern Az).  It was a long drive to get there from our small border town.  Made seemingly longer by an endless dirt road (which was paved 12 years ago). 

We built our home on a hill, in this hidden dirt filled desert, that suited its name perfectly.  Views like no other place.  3 houses were out there (5 total, scattered).  But, before our home was built, my Dad would take me on long hikes, from town, to our land in the heavens (or as far as a 6 year old could go).  Then my Mom would pick us up.  While waiting for her, we would rest on giant boulders, and look up at the clouds...

This is one side of what I saw (and see when I visit our home) when I went out to play, outside of our enclosed back yard...

      

So began my adventure as me, and what I find intriguing.  I was 8 years old when I started roaming the land.  I would pack snacks and head out to "explore."  Rocks, dirt, cacti, mines...  Ghosts?

Of course I didn't go into the mines, they were unstable and very deep.  This one below, sits down and across the canyon from the photo above, and has an old rickety ladder going into it...

I was never afraid of bob cats, mountain lions or snakes.  I just accepted that someday, I might be attacked or bitten by one.  Luckily, I never was.  I think I was much braver then, than I am now.

 

There are over six mines surrounding our family house.  My brother, uncle and his exploring team even went into one.  However, I will delve into that in later posts.

The point is, I think this is where my fascination began with old abandoned buildings, cars and mining/ghost towns... 

Most of which could be found, in my own backyard, literally.

I could never understand how this car made it up the dry, giant boulder laden stream, through the hidden canyon and into the valley behind our house.  But to see it, still there, is very comforting to me.  I used to play in it as a kid. 

  

Of course, over the years, believe it or not, this deserted place in the hills, that my Dad pegged as wonderful, has become one of the hottest places to build a home in that area (which I find annoying, but that is neither here nor there).  You even see a famous face jogging out there every now and then.  And sadly, this car, that I thought was mine and mine alone those 23 years ago, has since been a bit pillaged...

If you walked east, past the car and down the dry stream about 3 miles, you would come upon a deteriorated miner's house, chock-full of miner's equipment and a gold panning area.  I was there 3 years ago.  It is still there, although, nothing like it was when I was a kid...  Back then it was preserved in time.  Now it has become a resting point for illegal immigrants hiding in our back hills.  Dangerous even...

But, I see, I have veered from the entire point of my original story.  Which was to share that, due to the mining/ghost town intrigue that was planted in me as a kid, I find myself endlessly drawn to such places. 

I remember my first visit into an old abandoned home in a ghost town.  Everything was still in its place.  Clothes, food, old furniture... 

The only thing missing were the people.

Why do people abandon their towns?  Why do they seemingly vanish?  There are many reasons of course.  I will share some of my personal treks into local ghost towns in other posts, but today I want to share a place we are headed to late this summer...

A place I have been itching to visit for years...

Bodie, California.

      

A town"Frozen in Time..."

I get goose bumps just thinking about visiting here.  How wonderful, that is has been preserved as a historic state park.

        

(Photo:  Brett Fleissner)

A once booming little town, in 1880 getting close to it's midlife, there were 10,000 people in Bodie.  But in 1881, dropped to 3,000 and continued declining... 

      

        

(photos above:  Bodie.Com)

I love preserved ghost towns.  Just look at these interior shots...

      

        

(photos above:  David Tavares)

Absolutely Fascinating...

       

(above photo: Birgit)

It is astounding to me, to see the list of organizations this tiny town was home to in its day...  From E Clampus Vitus, A fraternal organization dedicated to the study and preservation of Western Heritage, especially the history of the Mother Lode and gold mining regions of the area(wikepedia).    To over a dozen others... 

      

I would love to have a home and gallery in an old building like the old I.O.O.F. Building below - Independent Order of Odd Fellows (left) and the Dechambeau Hotel...  There was even a building for the Rebekahs.

      

More I.O.O.F. info and their wonderful motto here...

(photo: Frank Faby)

I can't wait to visit Bodie for myself.  Have you been there?

      

      

(photos above: Greg Wagner)

Who knows who you might run into in Bodie.  Maybe even You too, will be there ;)

      

(photo of U2, Bodie.Com) 

Many more Ghost Town adventures to come.  And, I will make sure to take a ton of photos in Bodie late this summer...

      

(photo:  Greg Wagner)

♥,V

Comments

[Rhonda Roo]

Veevala,
I've been lost in Bodie for about an hour now, getting acquainted with the residents- Rosa May, the "lady" from the red light district who reportedly saved the town like Florence Nightengale during an epidemic (but was still buried outside of city limits in shame); Dan McMillan, the one armed sheriff who also managed the baseball team (!?!); Belle Moore (LOVE the name!) the town's first schoolteacher; and Mike McGowan, a "bad man" from Virginia City, who would bite off ears, noses and thumbs...
Oh man. I better not tell Cowboy about this....
:-)
Thank you for a lovely diversion on a sunday afternoon!
PS Lucky you, Ms. Fearless Vanessa of the mines all around her, growing up with such a deep sense of history! And lucky land around you in childhood, to have someone who would hold it in reverence!

[AForestFrolic]

That looks wonderful Vanessa! I can't wait to see the pictures you take when you visit. And what a fun place to grow up. We used to have an old junk car on land that I grew up on too and we used to LOVE to play in it and pretend we were driving and going places, haha. Brought back some memories :)

Hope you are having a marvelous weekend!

Jamie :)

[Lori Anderson]

SUCH an interesting post! What a cool childhood you had.

That car reminds me of one I found when I was chaperoning a bunch of kids on a nature walk -- here's a pic

http://snipurl.com/k4ane

I have no idea how that car could have gotten into the forest.

[Shell]

i have never been to a true ghost town. I love to go one day. I can imagine how cool it must be to be able to wander around in Bodie.

[Cori. G]

O Fanciful One this is comment # 3. For some reason my comments aren't going through.

So you're going to visit Bodie? Hubby and I were on our way back from Virginia City two years ago and drove right by the turn off. We were so exhausted that we said maybe another day and haven't been back that direction since.
Have you taken the drive up Cal. Hwy 99? There are sooooo mannnny beautiful little Gold mining towns along the road. We took that road on our honeymoon.

xoxo Cori

[Cinda Rae Oliverio]

Some of your pics reminded me of when I was a lass and I LOVED going upon our hill above our house! As I got into my teens I went up there and built cabins out of trees that had fallen and big branches! Nothing like woodsmoke and a rock fireplace to roast marshmellows and brew some hot tea! We didn't stay all night up there though too often, maybe three times, too spooky!I even remember playing in abandoned trucks and steam shovel back hos or whatever they are called! They stripped our hill for coal and I remember I was dismayed even as a child but when they left we had 3 ponds and restored grass! We had some great times in the big pond and even the middle pond! diving to the bottom for mud and throwing at each other! Also though the big pond was a place where my sister-in-law had a BIG SCARE! We were swimming and all of a sudden my sister-in-law wasn't there! I started to panic but finally she came to the top! She said she had to really fight to get to the top! It must have been a mining hole sucking her in!! We never went swimming there ever again!!! Thanks! for the memories girly! Have FUN in Bodie! Can't wait to seeeeeeeee the pics!

[Amy]

I love that so very much about Arizona. While thus far I've grown up in the main Phoenix city area of the state my favorite field trips and outings, to this day, are when we go to ghost towns and places like them. There's just so much history in those places, and the wonderfully interesting magical kind of history not the boring kind where you just want the school bell to ring already kind.

I remember a ghost town I went to when I was in grade school. It had a mine...I wanted to go in so bad, but my dad advised against it :( He did get me old fashioned ice-cream though, and we went panning for gold.

I love reading your posts, especially Arizona related ones it makes me remember the things I love about living here, and forget about the scorching heat and over-population of the big city areas I frequent.

Amazing photos as always A Fanciful Twist, Fairytale Dream Bursts & Truthful Fabrications..., but for some reason I am unable to comment :(

Looking forward to more lovely and magical posts!

-Amy

[Marjorie]

OH what magic!! But I know I would not be so brave about lions and tigers and bears, oh my!! eeeep!

Arizona looks so other worldly to me!!

Are there any Earthships around where you are? I've seen some really amazing ones in books. :)

[Bobbypin Bandit]

Don't forget about this place....http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/az/duquesne.html

[Kat]

Love the blog, your photographs are just right, makes me want to jump in the car and head west right now.
Thanks for sharing,
Kat

[Marlene Affeld]

What a delightful place spend your childhood. Loved your photos and comments. Thanks for sharing this special part of history.

[Joyce]

I too have been dreaming of going to Body for a long time. Being a black and white landscape photographer, the thought of dragging the big camera to shoot this place is irresistable.