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Bodie, California, was once described as "a sea of sin, lashed by the tempest of lust and passion." A mining town that emerged in the late 1800s, Bodie was home to a mix of robbers, miners, gunfighters, and prostitutes — the kind of rogue's gallery familiar to anyone who has ever seen a Hollywood Western. The abandoned town now sits in a state of "arrested decay" as a California State Historic Park, but each year it gains a new life in the minds of thousands of visitors from around the country and the globe. It also holds a special place in the heart of Dydia DeLyser, an assistant professor in LSU's Department of Geography & Anthropology. DeLyser, who specializes in cultural and historical geography and social theory, has been studying Bodie for almost 20 years. She was an employee at the Bodie park off and on for a decade and conducted her dissertation research there.  DeLyser's research examines how people interpret the past in the American West, taking into account the influence of popular entertainment. Western movies and television shows, she explains, convey certain messages about America and what it stands for, thus affecting how people view and react to the empty buildings in "ghost towns" such as Bodie. "When people see the town, they connect to the movies and TV shows. ... It's very powerful," she says. "They relate to the ideas the movies convey about the pioneering spirit of Americans and and read those into Bodie's landscape" By examining the 120 buildings that make up Bodie and conducting thousands of interviews with visitors and staff, DeLyser has gained some insight into the how the past of the American West is being represented and interpreted in the present.
DeLyser has authored numerous articles on the topic and is currently working on more, including one that examines reactions to a "fake" ghost town located at the Knott's Berry Farm Theme Park in Southern California. She also plans to turn her work on Bodie and ghost towns into a book. Ghost towns are, however, only one part of DeLyser's research. She has just completed a book about the "Ramona" myth and perceptions of Southern California. "Ramona" was a historical fiction novel written in 1884 that wove the plight of the American Indian into a generic love story set on a Southern California rancho. The book became a hit, prompting readers to visit the area to see the story's locales for themselves. It became a major boon to Southern California tourism, and "Ramona" merchandise became a staple at tourist-targeted stores, restaurants, and motels. "A fictional work became a foundation for how people perceived Southern California," DeLyser says. The "Ramona" research, she says, fits in with her examination of how people see and interpret the past through the lense of the present. Tourists, she explains, interpret the current landscape of historic areas to give them meaning, using brochures and other material to "make sense" of their surroundings. The concept, she says, is called "social memory," or how people understand the past in the present. Simply put, because the present is ever-changing, so is how people interpret the past. "In a sense, the past is always changing," she says. "As times change, people 'need' different things from the past." Contact Rob Anderson | LSU
University Relations Related Links LSU's Department of Geography & Anthropology |
Ghost towns and American Myths 
