Incredible photos of eerie abandoned gold rush town in California
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A once bustling gold rush town in Mono County, California, now stands deserted - many of the buildings lie abandoned, yet are still furnished with the personal belongings of their previous owners.
The town of Bodie was named after Waterman Body, who first found gold there in 1859. By its peak in the 1880s, it was a bustling gold rush town with a population of around 10,000.
In the late 1880s, Bodie's population began to decrease as new gold sources were discovered elsewhere and the miners began to move away.
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A decrepit sign points to Maiden Lane and Virgin Alley - where the town's prostitutes would work in small one room cabins known as cribs. By its peak in the 1880s, the Californian town of Bodie was a bustling gold rush town with a population of around 10,000
Not quite Holiday Inn: The deserted Swazey Hotel in the centre of the former mining town in Mono County. Gold was first found here in 1859
A lesson left abandoned: Chalk writing is still visible on the blackboards in this classroom at the school
The town was devastated by a large fire in 1892 and by 1910, the population had plummeted to 698, with the last local newspaper ceasing publication shortly after in 1912.
It retained a small population for a few decades more, despite being badly burned by another fire in the 1930s.
Bodie was officially made a state park in the 1960s, preserving the remaining buildings so future generations could enjoy them.
English photographer Cat Burton visited the eerie town of Bodie, which used to have a population of 10,000, to see a real life American ghost town.
This school room still contains a paino and teaching supplies, such as an illustration of a human skeleton and text books
A cracked wooden globe sits among battered text books and dust in the window of the old school classroom. The town's last local newspaper ceasing publication shortly after in 1912
Decaying wallpaper, broken laundry baskets and a kettle: Everyday household items all hint at the life led in this abandoned home
The 29-year-old, of Donington, Lincolnshire, says: 'I was on a road trip around California and a few people had recommended visiting Bodie, and I'm so glad I made the time to stop here.
'The most fascinating thing I saw while I was there was all the interiors of the buildings.
'After being abandoned for so long, you would expect them to be destroyed and empty. Instead, there are a wide variety of buildings still full of items.
'Aside from the dust, you could almost imagine someone living there now. All the buildings were fascinating, from the workshops full of tools to the shop with products still on display. The morgue was morbid but captivating, with dusty coffins stacked up.
This collection of machinery was used to power the old winch and gold mine lift. The object to the left is an old boiler
A crooked outhouse, ravaged by time: The once bustling gold rush town in Mono County, California now stands completed deserted
Photographer Cat Burton captured one of the many decaying cars dotted around the town, with small sections of bodywork remaining
'The school was probably one of my favourites as it gave me a lot of things to research; I loved the old cracked globe in the school window especially.'
Cat says: 'Most people I show these images to are really fascinated by Bodie. These are the places that most of us only hear about in films or stories, but to see one up close and be able to show other people how it looked is wonderful.
'The workshops had all sorts of rusty containers and tools, and a lot of the houses still had old beds, chairs and tables in, as well as personal belongings.
'The school had a fully furnished classroom, complete with writing on the boards and books on the desks. It is so full of items it looks like everyone just vanished midway through a lesson.'
The slammer: The town's old jail and lockup. Bodie was officially made a state park in the 1960s, preserving the remaining buildings so future generations could enjoy them
An abandoned forge. Many of the buildings lie abandoned, yet are still furnished with the personal belongings of their previous owners
An old workshop in Bodie, captured by photographer Cat Burton. 'The workshops had all sorts of rusty containers and tools, and a lot of the houses still had old beds, chairs and tables in, as well as personal belongings,' she said.
The Bank Of Bodie, or at least the vault, still stands proudly in the town. Despite surviving the 1892 fire, the bank was destroyed during another fire in 1932
Inside the vault of Bodie. Doors marked with the year 1867. By the late 1880s, Bodie's population began to decrease as new gold sources were discovered elsewhere
The town was devastated by a large fire in 1892 and by 1910, the population had plummeted to 698
In the late 1880s, Bodie's population began to decrease as new gold sources were discovered elsewhere and the miners began to move away
A file picture shows the view of abandoned mining buildings in Bodie, mid to late 20th century
How it was: A photograph of Bodie in the 1890s, when it was a thriving mining town
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