Inside an eerie California gold rush town that laid abandoned for 70 years

In 1859, gold was discovered in California by a group of prospectors, including a tin manufacturer named W.S. Bodey. And the Gold Rush began.

The following November, Bodey died in a blizzard while making a supply trip to Mono County, California. Mines with gold were later found in Mono County around 1861, and the town of Bodey — later spelled "Bodie" — was born, though its namesake never lived to see the town.

People established a community there, full of wooden structures including a church, jail, hotel, bank and schoolhouse, as well as shops and homes. At its peak in 1880, an estimated 10,000 residents lived there, but Bodie was abandoned during the early '40s.

Today, it's a ghost town.

Bodie is now recognized as a National Historic Landmark, and about 200,000 people visit annually, though it still gives off a creepy vibe.

Jeff Sullivan, a California-based photographer, has been capturing images of Bodie since the 1970s, and now leads nighttime photography workshops there. He shared some of his modern-day images of the town.

Located east of the sierra Nevada moutains in California, Bodie has approximately 100 buildings still standing today. A fire ravaged much of the downtown business disctrict jn 1932.

Explore the ghost town from the comfort of your own home: