Mrs. & MOTHER tell “her” story…

MRS A. J. Johnson- MOTHER….known only by her “Married Identity.” Aged 77 years- Born 24 Feb. 1826- Died 25 Nov. 1905.

THE MARRIED WOMEN OF BODIE- buried as MRS. & MOTHER!!

~~~Women in the mining camp of Bodie were “Mrs”. In death it was of such importance- MOTHER, WIFE or MRS. was engraved on their tombstones.

~~~Married outside of Bodie, as Bodie went from a rogue “Mining Camp” to a small town with mining operations of significance,  “the married men”  starting making accommodations for their wives to travel, and accompany  them  to the isolated 8,700 feet elevation  locationed in Mono, County.

~~Small  520 square-foot, two room, “wood-sided cabins with one or two windows” were built to accommodate the miners.  Very sparse with  only a woodburning stove for heat. (No running water or inside plumbing. Outhouses- a walks distance from the “small cabin,” which were freezing cold.)

“The unheated structures” were not very comfortable or “habitable” for two people to “sustain during the freezing cold, windchill temperatures,” that were constant in Bodie. Winter days were  dark and short. Snow storms with blinding -cold-high winds meant “surviving by the stove!” The wood burning stove, which required cut and stacked 3-4 cords of wood. Constant tending to the “stove” and having stored “provisions” to cook, meant planning and organization. No running water, also meant water had to be delivered, and kept inside to keep from freezing. More time was spent inside, than outside- just maintaining a “daily survival.”