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Panamint Valley Goes to Bodie

(and a few other places, too)
by Cecile Page Vargo

Day 1

On the morning of August 2, Roger and I left our rental condo in Mammoth Lakes for Lee Vining and the Mono Basin Forest Service Visitor Center. We based ourselves in the parking lot, and waited as one by one our group from www.panamintvalley.com arrived. Panamint Charlie, his two sons, Wild Bill and his wife Barb, Ghosttown, Loner and his brother, and Desert4wd

Ooops!  Where's Doug? Are you back there somewhere? Ok. there you are let's head 'em out!!!

Where's Doug?

After making new acquaintances and renewing a few old ones we were finally on our way. First stop. Jordan, California.

I looked over Jordan and what did I see

Coming for to carry me home..

An avalanche coming after me.

Coming for to carry me home..

Looking over Jordan.

On March 7, 1911 the relatively new Jordan Power Plant at the base of Copper Mountain was completely destroyed by an avalanche. The power generated from the plant kept the mining town of Bodie in electricity until its sudden demise during late winter snowstorms. Ruins remain today for the www.panamintvalley.com explorers to ponder over in the new millennium. The cemetery in the distance stands as a haunting reminder of the scope of the disaster.

"Hey, Barb, Is that Doug at the highway?  Oops. I think he went to the wrong power plant!"

From Jordan, we ventured north on Highway 395 to Bridgeport and turned off at the dirt road that would eventually lead us to the site of Masonic. The remains of the Chemung Mine and mill catch our attention along the way. The Chemung was worked from 1909 to 1938. Remnants still stand today, in spite of damage from harsh winter snows, vandalism, and metal eating termites. Rumors abound over the Internet that the Chemung is haunted.  Oh.. That's no ghost-that's just Doug! He finally caught up with us!

Chemung Mill and the Sierras.

A few dirt miles away from the Chemung, is the town site of Masonic. Prospecting members of the Masonic Lodge discovered promising leads during the summer of 1860, but were soon overshadowed by rich strikes at Aurora and Bodie. On July 4, 1902, Masonic was rediscovered and in production by 1904. The ruins of the Stull Brothers Mill, also known as the Pittsburg-Liberty, assorted log cabins, and the bucket tramway on the hill peek our curiosity.

Lined up at Masonic.

We leave Masonic and turn on the Geiger Grade which will lead us into our ultimate destination for the day, the ghost town of Bodie. According to Michael Piatt author of Bodie, The Mines Are Doing Well this 13 mile section of dirt road, which crests at the 9000 foot level, was built by Doctor D. M. Geiger, who also built the famous Geiger Grade in Virginia City, Nevada. Construction of this route began in June of 1878 with hopes to provide a more direct route between Bodie and Bridgeport than the old Sonora stage road.

Upon completion, the route proved to be too steep for the heavy laden freight wagons carrying ore and supplies back and forth between the two towns. Our modern four wheel drive sports utility vehicles find it easy going today. As we travel along this isolated, little-traveled section, someone announces a bobcat sighting, too brief to be caught by the cameras. During other travels with Explore Historic California, in years past, bear sightings have been made in the distance, but remained elusive for the www.panamintvalley.com bunch. The usual bovine herds dot the various meadows most of the 13 miles, and lead us into the infamous mining town.

Bovine supervision along the road from Masonic to Bodie.

A state park ranger awaits in his government vehicle as we reach Bodie State Historic Park, and he directs us to park on the road that leads to Aurora, as the actual parking lot is overflowing. While the town no longer boasts a population of 10,000, as some sources say it did during its gold mining heyday, vagrant daytime populations for the summer of 2008 soar to 1,000 most days. Visitors not only come from Panamint Valley like we did, but throughout California, the rest of the United States, as well as France, Germany and England, and more.  Oops..where's Doug?  Did he make it to Bodie to be included in the daily census?

The Geiger Grade (left) with Bodie in the distance.

As we get out of our vehicles, Roger announces on the Bodie radio frequency that By God, Panamint Valley.com has arrived in town!  Ranger Terri Geissinger greets him with a big hello, and instructs us to meet her at the head frame by the parking lot and the modern restrooms.

Meeting under the head frame.

 W. S. Bodey and Black Taylor came to Silver Hill and discovered gold on the eastern side during the summer of 1859. The area today is known as Taylor's Gulch. Bodey and Taylor filed claims on their find. They returned in the fall, built a cabin, and began working their interests. The severe winter that followed killed Bodie. He never lived to see the thriving mining town of 2000 buildings that would be named after him. The Bodie Mining District actually started in the 1860s, but didn't reach its peak until 1878-1881. 

Terri takes us to jail!

Ranger Terri takes our group directly to the jail near Chinatown. A miner would earn up to $4 a ten hour day in the mines, and quickly lose $5 of that hard earned money to bribe the jailer to bail him out, after being caught up in what Rev. F. M. Warrington described as "A sea of sin, lashed by the tempests of lust and passion."  Curiosity got the best of some of our group and they wound up spending some time in jail just like the lawless miners.   Oh no. Doug!  See what happens when you finally catch up - Wild Bill locks you up with the rest of us!

Much to Terri's amusement, Wild Bill slams Doug and the rest of us in the slammer.

Ranger Terri, didn't require a bribe to let our wayward bunch out of jail.  Instead, she sent us across town to the stamp mill to get jobs. We found ourselves in the early 1900s at the Standard Mill. A man named Ed took us around and showed us the place, describing the machinery, how it worked, and hiring many of us for employment.

Ed explains the workings of a California stamp mill.

After time spent on the job at the Standard, we found ourselves in the twenty first century once again. We ventured around the modern ghost of Bodie by ourselves for awhile and then headed into Lee Vining and Bodie Mike's restaurant.  Thanks go to Wild Bill and Barb who offered to pick up the dinner tab for the whole lot of us! Why look at that, Doug made it to dinner with us!!

Wild Bill makes up for our temporary incarceration by springing for dinner at Bodie Mike's.

It was a great day exploring, Jordan, Chemung, Masonic, and Bodie, by God, but it was over and we headed back to our individual overnight spots to meet again the next day for further adventures on the road to Aurora. Desert4wd Doug, headed on to Aurora without us, for a campout in the old cemetery by himself. Would we find him or would he be forever lost to the ghosts?

The Aurora cemetery at night. Where's Doug?


To be continued...


Photography by

Desert4wd

Loner

Onyx Queen

Roger

Wild Bill


 
 
 
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