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THE BIG TIME IN HAWTHORNE AND BODIE!

  • Writer: Wayne E. Purcell
    Wayne E. Purcell
  • Aug 16, 2022
  • 2 min read

Updated: Aug 20, 2022

I was invited to do a Powerpoint presentation at the Mineral County History Museum in Hawthorne, Nevada. The museum helped me in the research for my book along the way so I was happy to do it. It was called "The Stories Behind the Story" and used photos to tell stories of how and why I wrote the book, the methods of research I used, and stories of things that happened along the way. I talked all around the story, and tried not to spoil it for any of the thirteen of us who were there.


There was one Paiute Indian from Schurz, in the Walker River Paiute Reservation. He had a story about Wovoka, the Indian Prophet or Dreamer, depending on how you view what he did. The manager and assistant at the museum were very excited about the event, and I was very grateful they set it all up. They had a newspaper reporter interview me on the phone and she put it on the first and third page of the local weekly newspaper. Photographer Doug Hammer was with me to help and we sold eleven books, ha, enough to pay for one of the tanks of gas to get there! All in all, it was very entertaining. I'll be doing the same program in Yucaipa November 5, and later on at the Mono Basin History Museum. I love the Eastern Sierra, so any excuse to go there works for me!


The next day, we set up a vendor booth at the Friends of Bodie Day in Bodie, at 8300 feet. They asked me to dress up in vintage clothing so I pulled out some of my Mountain Man era things and did my best. The weather was very pleasant and you couldn't beat the environment. We were surrounded by 1800's mining ghost town buildings. The lady next to us was selling goat-milk candles, that came in many different scents, so when the breeze was blowing the right direction, it was delicious. The man on the other side was from Hollywood and an expert in Western films, especially those shot in Bodie. And behind us was the morgue, full of dusty caskets, kind of spooky!


We met a lot of fascinating people and enjoyed the events of the day, people dressed in period clothing, the parade, music, etc. One man had been working on a song about Ah Quong Tai and teh event my book features. And I met the lady ranger who had been assigned by the California State Parks to read and approve (or reject) it for stocking in their visitor's center there in Bodie. I hope I made a good impression!


Bodie Friends of Bodie Day- High Pressure Salesman! Ha! The building behind my booth was the morgue, full of dusty caskets! Many people there were dressed in period clothing, which made it fun!














 
 
 

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8 Comments


Wayne E. Purcell
Wayne E. Purcell
May 27, 2023

So glad to see you and Diane at the Cowboy Festival in April. Thanks for coming. And thanks for all the advice on writing a movie script! It’s been at least 21 days since I started the book you recommended on how to write a movie script in 21 days…,I’m still trying yo finish reading the book. Ha!

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Marty Meeden
Marty Meeden
May 26, 2023

My Paiute family is from Bridgeport/Mono Lake. Thank you for the story, I am not finished with it though!

Would love to chat with you about your research findings on Captain John. He is my great great great grandfather.

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Wayne E. Purcell
Wayne E. Purcell
May 27, 2023
Replying to

Awesome! Did you finish the book yet? If so, you know that the book is about a round of the conflict of that day that the Numu won, a fascinating and intense story. Yes, bring your friends!

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Doug Wolven
Doug Wolven
Aug 17, 2022

So impressed with how well your launch has gone. And, to have Doug along with you—you must have gotten some great photographs up there. Bodie is one of my favorite photo sites. Love to see those shots—yours and Doug Hammer's. Keep it up. Thanks for all the encouragement with my stories.

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Wayne E. Purcell
Wayne E. Purcell
Aug 17, 2022
Replying to

Thanks, Doug. Yes, Doug Hammer got some wonderful shots of the re-enactors in Bodie, all dressed in period clothing. I especially liked the photographers he took pictures of with their1800's vintage, wet plate cameras. I took no photos, except a couple with my iPhone, could not dessert my book table! A fun adventure, interesting people, lots of French-speaking people for some reason this year. There was a short parade that started with the Marines and ended with Santa Claus in a wagon pulled by huge horses!

There were some tie-ins with my Bridgeport story, in that there was a Cain house and a Cody house, both related to Michael J. Cody, Sheriff of Bridgeport, 1888-92, during the Poker Tom-Ah Quong…

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© 2022 Wayne E. Purcell

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