Copyright ©2024 Deborah M. Zajac. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
PLEASE DO NOT USE MY IMAGES WITHOUT EXPRESSED WRITTEN PERMISSION.
This door has been marinating in my archives for nearly 2 years. I think its ready to finally be shared.
This bank vault door is located in Bodie State Historic Park in Mono, County California.
A little history for the History Buffs- The plaque reads:
James Stuart Cain
Pioneer banker and mining man born in 1854 and moved to Carson City, Nevada in 1875. Shortly thereafter he and Martha D. Wells of nearby Genoa, NV married and moved to Bodie, CA where he engaged in lumber, freighting, banking and mining operations. At one time he owned Mono County’s only bank. In 1938 Mr. Cain passed away at 84 years of age. Through his faith, and efforts Bodie remains today.
Dedicated September 12, 1964
From the site map/brochure:
“The Bodie Reputation
Stories of the quality and amount of gold being mined by the Standard Mining Company sparked a rush of people, and Bodie became a boomtown in 1877. By 1879 Bodie had a population of approximately 8,500 people and more than 2,000 buildings.
General stores and saloons supplied the needs of the miners. More than 60 saloons and dance halls lined the streets providing a source of relaxation and entertainment for the miners after a hard day’s work in the the depths of the mines.
Gunfights, stage holdups, robberies, and street fights contributed to its reputation of lawlessness and the legend of the “Bad Man of Bodie” is a composite of outlaws and men like Tom Adams, and Washoe Pete, who contributed to the wild atmosphere of Bodie.” California State Parks
“Bodie- a town so lawless that in 1881 it was described as,”…a sea of sin, lashed by the tempests of lust and passion.” Quoted by Reverend F.M. Warrington” California State Parks 2005 Brochure/Map
It’s a Ghost town today which is in a state of “arrested decay”. If you’re ever in Mono County, California it’s a neat place to visit.
This post is part of Thursday Doors a weekly challenge group.
You can find doors from around the world shared over on Dan Antion’s No Facilities site here.
more to come…
Circadianreflections Blog 
What a great photo! Love how it is still standing and the details in that door…Looks like it was made to last! Interesting facts too that it was once a booming town but now a ghost town!
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Thank you so much, Jill! It is a great door with an interesting past. 😀
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Thanks for all of the interesting history, Deborah. Can you imagine what it was like to live there in its heyday? I wonder if the towns that we live in will ever become ghost towns.
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You’re welcome, Robert! It must have been pretty wild back then. Who knows about our towns. Mine never had much industry, and only a handful of service jobs/careers to begin with and is doing well I hope that continues for a long, long time!
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A trilogy of thank-yous, Deborah; for the wonderful photos, the history, and the door. I loved this!
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Thank you, thank you, thank you, Jennie! I’m so glad you liked this post. It’s a pretty cool door with very interesting history.
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You are welcome, Deborah! Yes, it’s very cool.😀
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LOVE this door, Deborah, just from its looks. The story and how it’s still standing today is pretty interesting too!!
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Isn’t that cool. Thank you so much, Donna. I’m glad you found it interesting.
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Wow, a sea of sin!! Nothing could get worse than that. What an interesting discovery of this ghost town, Deborah! There must have been a lot of gold in many towns back then and they now became ghost towns. Whan an interesting story. 🙂
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Thank you so much, Miriam! It was in 5th grade learning about the gold rush in CA that turned on my love of history.
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You learned American history well, Deborah!
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Not really, but I do find it interesting! Thank you so much, Miriam! 😍
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Interesting story and I love the quote from the reverend. I often find the vocabulary and sentence structure in 19th century and even into early 20th century rural America, fun to read,
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Wasn’t their vocabulary rich and wonderful back then! Their handwriting was ever so much nicer too.
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Thank you for sharing this, Deborah. I love ghost towns, and this bank vault is so typical of the arrested decay you mention.
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Thank you so much, John! I’m always surprised by what gets left behind when I explore Ghost towns.
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Me too.
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What a great find and interesting history lesson. I’m sorry I missed the state park when I visited Mono Lake in 2022.
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Thank you so much, Janis! Hopefully, you’ll get another opportunity and visit Bodie one day.
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Deborah, that is the coolest door ever. What stories it tells. I wish you had put it in the badge contest. I love the larger photo. It’s almost surreal. Hugs.
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Thank you so much, Teagan! You know, I didn’t think I had a door to enter even though I’ve got plenty still marinating. 😀
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When everything is gone into oblivion, the vault remains. 🙂 There is symbolism in there. I was in Body in the winter. The place was cold and almost deserted as I creaked through the snow. I don’t remember noticing the door, but I did peak into the deserted school, left like the children could re-enter any moment. And I read the story about the astonishing fast upcoming and almost just as fast decline of the mining activities and with that of the place itself. Cool picture, Deborah, it brings back memories.
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How cool that you’ve been to Bodie, Peter! The bank was on one of the back streets. I was the only one on the street that morning in April. It did decline pretty fast didn’t it! That surprised me too, as well as what was left behind.
I’m glad I could bring back some memories of your trip, Peter.
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Wonderful
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Thanks!
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Thank you!
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Wh
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?
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“…a sea of sin, lashed by the tempests of lust and passion.” I suppose they needed a strong vault at the bank. Thanks for sharing a wonderful door and an interesting bit of history, Deborah.
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Thank you so much, Dan. I imagine Cain had big strong guys like the Pinkerton’s who were good with their pistols and had quick draws on his staff. 😀 The Wild West really comes alive when you read tales and history like this.
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This is a great, evocative image. It would make a wonderful illustration for a post about the area and the town’s history: perhaps “Opening the Door to History’s Vault.”
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Ooh, you need to be on that committee with your great title! The wild west really comes alive when one reads tales like these and sees the old buildings and stuff they left behind.
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Ha, ha…bank vault door…good one, Deborah! Great description by Reverend F.M. Warrington. Coincidentally, just watched “Bank of Dave” – enjoyed. Thank you for sharing a great photo! 💕 Erica
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Thank you so much, Erica! It was a pretty neat find for a door enthusiast, and the history is so interesting isn’t it.
I haven’t seen Bank of Dave. I’ll have to check it out. 😍
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I’m glad you shared your photo and the tale, Deborah! What an interesting and colourful piece of history!
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Thank you so much, Belinda! It’s an interesting place. Imagine the stories there!
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We don’t normally think of a door marinating. That’s a good way to put it.
Too bad I didn’t know about Bodie when I visited Mono Lake in the 1980s. Now you’ve given me another place to want to see.
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I hope you have an opportunity to go back and visit the area again and make a stop in Bodie.
I’ve got tons of images marinating in my archives. The trouble is I don’t much like writing and/or can’t think of anything interesting to say about them so many of my images I like so, they don’t get shared. It would be lovely to have someone write for me.
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You could present your pictures in their own right, with a minimum of commentary. I’ve sometimes put out posts with nothing more than the place, date, and identification of the subject.
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😀
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