Bodie Cemetery

ROSA MAY- “buried outside the Fence”

Family Plot Layout

The Bodie Cemetery showcases a variety of interment types reflective of Mining community’s diverse history.

Some traditional burials are marked by Headstones. Some graves were never “marked with a headstone” and remain “unmarked graves” ….These graves tell the story of those “without Family or Relatives, or a religious Brotherhood Fraternal Organization,” and have been forgotten and lost in location. Sage brush covered over- the ground is unrecognizable as Cemetery.

The “Family Plot Layout” is distinctly divided, with a fenced area designated as the "Proper Cemetery," housing the graves of the Miners, their families, and notable figures.

While the grounds “outside the fence” serve as the final Resting Place for Bodie’s marginalized individuals, such as Prostitutes, Gunmen, and Chinese immigrants. (Rosa May was buried “outside the fence.” Headstone marker being place years after her death.”

Grave offerings found throughout Bodie Cemetery, often include personal mementos like Flowers, Coins, and “small tokens left by distant relatives or one-time visitors.”

Illustrating the enduring connections to those buried in the Bodie Cemetery, and the respect paid to their memory amidst the rugged Mining backdrop, the Bodie Cemetery has remained for over 150 years in constant silent and in stillness.