Sawmill - Bodie California

Photo Description

The small sawmill was used for cutting firewood. With snow as much as 20 feet deep, winds up to 100 miles an hour, and temperatures down to 30 or even 40 degrees below zero, plenty of firewood was needed to keep Bodie's poorly constructed houses warm during the winter. The winter of 1878/1879 was especially severe, and Bodie residents, many of them new arrivals, were not adequately prepared. Many died of exposure, disease or violence. Preparing for a Bodie winter was, and still is, a monumental task.

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