THE EARLY SETTLEMENT OF AURA, NEVADA. AND NEARRY MINING CAMPS.

Mining completely dominated the life of the Bodie Hills-Mono Lake area till late in the nineteenth century. The fame of Aurora and Bodie drew many settlers, some of whom went to the towns whereas others settled in farms and ranches in the watered valleys. Roads and railroads were built to link mining centers with farming areas and with the outside world. The early mining period did not end until about 1890 when the deposits had been exhausted and those remaining had become to costly to mine by the methods of the day. The mining towns then died, leaving farming and ranching as the only important economic activities until recent decades during which tourism has become significant.