Bodie took its name from William Bodey, who discovered gold there in 1859. By 1880, Bodie was home to an estimated 10,000 people — families, miners, and store owners as well as robbers, gunfighters, and prostitutes. The town had as many as 65 saloons and a red-light district that included brothels, gambling halls, and opium dens.

As the miners found less and less gold, they headed on in search of more profitable mining camps and leaving behind most of their possessions.