Bodie, California

Bodie, California materialized as a gold-mining town in 1859 when William S. Bodey first discovered flakes of the precious metal a few miles from the border dividing California from Nevada. By 1879 the population of Bodie had grown to about ten thousand residents. But as the era of the gold rush came and went, so did Bodie’s prosperity. For several decades the deserted town was exposed to the ravages of time, fire and weather. By 1962 only about 5% of Bodie’s original buildings remained. It was during that year that the State of California designated Bodie as an official historic park thereby committing to preserving what existed of Bodie, in a “state of arrested decay”.

Even after Bodie had been designated an official historic park, the artifacts located at the park suffered continued exposure to several weathering factors, not the least of which were park visitors. With park patrons climbing on the structures, small mechanisms frequently became detached and were lost or removed from the park. In addition, those artifacts that had been in direct contact with the ground for several decades were deteriorating at an accelerated pace due to increased exposure to corrosion elements contained in the soil, such as moisture and salt.

In October 2001, Conservation Solutions, Inc. (CSI) was called in to perform on-site investigations of several objects located at Bodie Historic Park. The objects examined during this investigation included a Doubledrum Steam Hoist, Man Cage, Bulwer Ore Car; Tube or Ball Mill, Jaw Crusher, Amalgam Table (Apron), Stamp Mill Battery, Chilean Mill, and a “Union Frue Vanner”.

The report assessed the present condition of the objects and attempted to determine the nature and possible causes of their deterioration. CSI also provided treatment proposals for the artifacts that described the proper means for their stabilization, storage, and display, and outlined the materials and methods that should be used for their stabilization. The report included budgetary cost estimates and a complete photographic inventory of the objects.

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