Posted by David A. Wright on July 19, 1999 at 23:04:43:
In Reply to: A Town Called NIGGERTON or NIGGERVILLE posted by William Hope on July 12, 1999 at 06:09:21:
1. Not sure if your query is on the up and up - the last portion appears to contain subtle typecasting. If so, then this type of comment has no place here. However, in case your query is indeed legitimate, then:
2. There was no settlement of the type you indicate. Bodie was far too small to attract this type of settlement nearby during this time period, Bodie was in its infancy.
3. Nearby Aurora was far larger and more popular. I've not read or seen anything to indicate this type of settlement in the vicinity, or in between Aurora and Bodie.
4. There were a few Negroes living in the region during the period you inquire about. Charlie's Butte in Owens Valley was named for Charlie Taylor, a Negro who was killed c.1861 when he and the McGee Family were enroute from Aurora to Bend City [see pages on both locations on this Website] in an Indian ambush. For the most part, Negro citizens lived quiet lives within settlements in the region as they represented a very small segment of the population prior to the Civil War.
5. Indians and Chinese were segragated outside or on the outskirts of both Bodie and Aurora, though their settlements were not indicated with a separate name, although Bodie's Chinese lived in "Chinatown" located on the northern end of the town.