Back to Show
Lost LA
Bodie: A City of Abandoned Dreams
The Gold Rush was founded on a promise of prosperity, but too often left only ruins behind. Such was the case for William S. Bodie, who founded the ghost town we know today as Bodie. Though Bodie himself never lived to see its prosperity, several of its structures from its heyday still stand as a monument to the power of dreams and the hope for a better future. Featuring interviews with Bodie Foundation executive director Brad Sturdivant, Park Ranger Mike Rominger and Professor of Geology Dydia Delyser.
Support Provided By
Season

27:05
Trace the devastation of the 1928 St. Francis Dam collapse and its deadly flood.

26:40
How Cold War vigilance and secrecy shaped Southern California culture.

26:39
The Space Shuttle Endeavour’s journey is traced from its origins.

26:40
Tiki culture isn’t a Polynesian import — it’s a Hollywood creation.

26:49
Archives reveal the “forgotten plague” that shaped Southern California: tuberculosis.

26:50
Visit Hollywood Forever, Evergreen and Forest Lawn, where L.A. reinvented the cemetery.

26:40
The hiker-activists who led Angelenos into their hills and onto the trails.

26:39
How Filipino Americans in Southern California are making their heritage more visible.

26:47
Iconic fast-food chains from McDonald’s to Taco Bell were born in SoCal.

26:37
After internment camps, Japanese Americans made L.A.'s Crenshaw neighborhood their home.

26:04
During WWII, L.A. became a sanctuary for Europe’s accomplished artists and intellectuals.