The Legend Of Rosa May
Photo Credits: Marc Martin/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Like most other mining towns, Bodie had an unspoken red light district for prostitution on the northern part of the town. Here, the legend of the prostitute Rosa May was born. According to the miners, Rosa May was explained as the Florence Nightengale of miners who came when town after the town was hit with a nasty epidemic during the population’s height.
She is credited with saving the lives of countless miners, although when she died, she was buried outside of the cemetery walls. Along with the established cemetery, there is also Bodie Boot Hill, where they buried gunslingers or others who died “with their boots on.” These cemeteries were common in most mining towns in the Wild West.
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