Miners are still working despite the annoying living…

A white mule in the mines is still farting!

HISTORY OF THE STANDARD MINE

When the collapse of the Bunker Hill Mine in the mid-1800s exposed a large vein of ore, a group of capitalists in San Francisco purchased the land and claim, and formed Standard Consolidated Mining Company. After making a huge investment in equipment and lumber, they produced $784,523 in gold and silver bullion during 1877, which caused an economic boom in Bodie.

In 1878, they produced 1 million dollars worth of gold and silver bullion, but over time the mine began to slowly peter out, so they helped themselves to ore that rightfully belonged to the J. S. Caine Mine. J.S. Caine took them to court, and he wound up owning The Standard Consolidated Mining Company as well as his own mine.

The miners who worked in this mine lived in cabins near their worksite, and went into the town of Bodie to spend some of their earnings. Their work was dangerous but it was worth it to them, because they wanted to earn enough to make their dreams come true.

HISTORY OF MANIFESTATIONS

The mines were a hazardous place to work, which explains why the Bodie mines had such high wages for this era. The miner’s union made sure that wages were fair to their members because they deserved to get hazard pay. The high wages also attracted men who were willing to do this risky work, way out in the middle of nowhere, Bodie.

Miners were killed by falling timber, the explosion of powder magazines, and byother accidents.

In 1879, there was a huge explosion in the Lent Shaft, killing the men working there.

Mine mules also worked in dangerous conditions, along with the miners.

A white mule was severely injured by an ore car that broke its back. They quickly shot the distressed mule to put it out of its misery. They buried it in a depleted shaft that wasn’t going to be used again.

People who die on the job sometimes want to continue to work to make their goals happen, not letting the fact that they are dead get in the way.

MANIFESTATIONS

STILL HAUNTED?

Unknown, but it is strongly suspected so. Because the mines are collapsed and the area is closed to the living except for rangers, there is no way to see if the experiences can be repeated, and the disembodied voice recorded.

However, on the other hand, unless the miner can finish his shift, and get his paycheck, he may still be there trying to do so, to reach his goal. The mule may still be on level five, but no one living can go there to see, because it is collapsed.

The witnesses who threw the rocks heard the disembodied voice clearly, and it was annoyed, meaning that it is an intelligent spirit.

Many miners experienced the unmistakable, strong scent of mule droppings and were scared by seeing the entity of the white mule.

No hard evidence has been published, and the mines are now closed to living people, no doubt because of liability issues. The old processing Mill buildings are also closed because of the dangerous conditions there.

LOCATION

Hwy 395
Bridgeport, California 93517
(760) 647-6445

The old Bodie Mines are located in the hills surrounding the ghost town of Bodie, called Bodie State Historic Park. They have all collapsed and are not open to the public.

Bodie State Historic Park is located in the high desert country of California; “It is located in the Basin Range of the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains, about 13 miles East of Highway 395 in central California. The park is northeast of Yosemite, 13 miles east of Highway 395 on Bodie Road (Hwy 270), seven miles south of Bridgeport.

Take U.S. Hwy. 395 to State Hwy. 270 and drive 10 miles east until the paved road ends, then continue for 3 miles of an unpaved dirt road.”

SOURCES INCLUDE

• Haunted Places: The National Directory
  by Dennis William Hauck
  Penguin Books
  2002
• http://www.bodiehistory.com/bodie.htm
• (Smith 1925; Bodie Cemetery n.d.)

Our Haunted Paranormal Stories are Written by Julie Carr

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