June 23, 1932, was the last day of school in Bodie, Calif., and little Bill Godward wanted ice cream. Times were tough in the eastern Sierra mining town. Founded in 1859 as a promising gold camp, Bodie (pronounced BO-dee) had boomed in the 1870s, its population approaching 10,000 souls. But by 1930 most of the mines had closed, and folks had moved on. That year’s federal census had recorded just 228 residents, including Bill and his parents. Now Bill was nearly 3, and he really wanted ice cream. The teacher had invited the boy and eight other children to a party at school but served them red Jell-O. In a huff, Bill stormed out, went home (mom and dad were at work), found some matches and headed for a vacant building behind the Sawdust Corner saloon. The fire he kindled— whether out of boredom or plain mischief—soon spread, destroying the bank and most of the remaining hotels and stores. Bill later shipped off to military school, but Bodie was unredeemable. It survives today as a state park, a ghost town held in a state of “arrested decay.” To learn more about Bill and his hometown, read Big Bad Bodie, by James Watson and Doug Brodie. WW
Originally published in the October 2013 issue of Wild West.
this article first appeared in wild west magazine
