The Bodie Jail was built in 1877 and cost about $800. It’s approximately 14 feet x 18 feet, and has two cells. It’s been written that the jail wasn’t built very well, but it certainly saw a lot of “guests”. Bail was usually $5 for misdemeanors. Only one prisoner has ever been known to escape from this jail. The town was known as being lawless and immoral. One young girl, after finding out her family was moving to Bodie, wrote in her diary "Goodbye God, I'm going to Bodie". John Wayne was here in the early 1970's for a television special.
Jail cells in Bodie State Historic Park - August 25, 1962
There is an interesting story about a hanging that took place in Bodie by a vigilante group. You can read that story The 601 vigilante group and Joseph DeRoche on the Bodie.com website. It is also reported on The Great Silence website.