Big Bad Bodie High Sierra Ghost Town Author:James Watson, Doug Brodie, James Watson;Doug Brodie Answers questions about California?s most famous ghost town. "This is the best book out today on Bodie." Park Rangers, Bodie State Park. Big Bad Bodie is an intriguing historical tale about life as it was lived in old Bodie, the hardships, the bad times, the good times, and the people that made Bodie what it was. Bodie, California i... more »s the most well preserved ghost town in the West. It is also a State Historic Park located at an altitude of 8,369 feet (a mile-and-a-half up), five miles from the California-Nevada border. The town reached a population of 10,000 in its heyday, from 1877 through 1882, and gold and silver production topped 100 million dollars, based on today?s prices. Bodie consists of 175 buildings kept in a "state of arrested decay" by the State, meaning they will never be restored, but are prevented from further deterioration through a system of constant repair. As is the case with many "ghost towns" of the West, questions, mysterious circumstances, puzzling episodes, previously unexplained events and enigmas surround Bodie. In their fascinating new book, Big Bad Bodie, authors Watson and Brodie have endeavored to solve these "puzzles" and provide answers to questions, such as: Who is really buried in Bill Bodey?s grave, and why? Why is the name of the town spelled "BODIE," when the town?s namesake spelled his name "BODEY"? Why will there never be gold mining in Bodie again? Who started the 1932 fire that burned down much of the town? Big Bad Bodie also answers questions regarding the term "601," referring to the famous Gold Rush "601 Vigilante Committee." The authors spent many hours researching the Committee and uncovered some incredible historical facts, in print here for the first time. The "601 Vigilante Committee" was widespread in the western Gold Rush towns, and was in the business of handling out "quick justice." Big Bad Bodie: High Sierra Ghost Town is the first new book about Bodie to come along in more than two decades and includes 60 photos, many from the lens of Watson?s camera, plus numerous illustrations. Brodie and Watson have written a rich and fascinating history of a notorious California ghost town, sure to be of interest to any reader.« less