Held in a state of arrested decay, the ghost town of Bodie, California is one of the best known ghost towns in the United States. As with many a small town in the western part of the country, the town was part of the boom and bust cycle that was emblematic of the raucous world of mineral extraction, and as the gold in the region came and went, so did most of the residents of Bodie. This whole cycle began for Bodie in 1859, when a substantial quartz ledge was located in the region, along with significant deposits of gold. In 1962, the state of California took over what remained of the town in order to create a state historic park, and today approximately 200 structures remain on the site. At the website, visitors can take a photographic tour throughout many of these buildings (with some lovely interior photos as well), peruse a timeline of the town’s fortunes, and take a virtual tour of the Bodie cemetery. For persons interested in visiting Bodie, there is some helpful tips on nearby amenities and services.