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Bodie, CA - Stories

Chuck Fell

I work for Calif Dept of Parks and Recreation and my classifaction is Park Maintenance Supervisor. I've worked for them for 18 and a half years, 14 of which have been at Bodie and then the rest at Empire Mine State Historic Park in Grass valley. The first year 1989, I lived full time at Bodie with Judy (my wife) coming over from Visalia on the weekends or when school was out for our daughter. We bought our house in Bridgeport in 1990. From then to when I transfered to Empire Mine in fall of 1998 I wintered over in Bodie during my work week as the logistics of trying to get in and out on a daily basis were just to insurmountable. When we came back to Bodie in 2003 Judy and I both stayed in our old house at Bodie until summer of 2004 when we re-claimed our house in town from the folks that we had rented it to. Since then we have pretty much stayed at our house in Bridgeport with me overnighting it once a week at Grover Hot Springs State Park in Markleeville (one of the parks I now cover as a supervisor) and occasionally at Bodie in the winter. I'm getting old and I like spending my nights at home if I possibly can.

When Chuck was asked to provide a story for this newsletter he contributed a whole series of remembrances and said “I think maybe a few 'one liners' folks could ask during the tour or the campfire might get things going a bit. I for one, want to hear them all. Here is what Chuck said.

For instance the reason for the "bullet proof" screen on the screen door to our old house. The big barn dances we used to have on Sat. night just like the ones they had in the teens, twenty's and thirty's. The "drive in" movies outside the J S Cain House. The story of "Bodie Bill" the "Jr. Pyro" who started the fire on June 23rd 1932 that burnt the town down and the green jello. Canoeing down Main Street in during the spring run-off. Playing baseball on the old Bodie Mutts ball field. Our dog, Bear's, big snowcat adventure. Getting snowed in in the storm of March '95 being the only person in Bodie at the time and taking two whole days trying to get out and meet the other guys in the snowcat. The general logistics of getting into or out of Bodie in the winter time. The darkest night I ever spent trying to find my way back to the snowcat after my truck got stuck in the snow. A few various "ghost stories about the house we lived in and the other houes on our block. Judy's flat muffins. The Sieler house Brewery and our "ever foam" beer. The "mysterious ghost" of the Sieler house cellar. The visiting mountain lion who surprised employees when they were opening up the Standard Mill for the summer tours. The sad sad story of Lottie Johl, the lady of questionable virtue who tried to change her station in life and the times wouldn't let her. The lynching of "LaRouch". I'm sure once we get going a few more stories of everyday life will come to mind. I can talk a bit about the various "Friends of Bodie" day celebrations we do every year. This year we are celebrating the "roaring twenties" in Bodie. Also some of the pretty neat car groups that have come through such as the horse less carriage club of America (1919 or older), of course the Model T's and A's that line up on Main Street.

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