Mono Mills, California facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mono Mills
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Mono Mills ruins
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 Mono Mills
Location in California
Mono Mills
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Mono County |
| Elevation | 7,356 ft (2,242 m) |
Mono Mills is a ghost town in Mono County, California. A ghost town is a place where people used to live and work, but now it's mostly empty. Mono Mills is located about 9.5 miles (15.3 km) east-southeast of Lee Vining. It sits high up at 7,356 feet (2,242 meters) above sea level. Today, very little is left of Mono Mills. You can find its site along California State Route 120, about 9.1 miles (14.6 km) east of where it meets U.S. Route 395.
Contents
What Was Mono Mills?
Mono Mills began as a busy place where people cut down trees. It was a "lumber camp" that provided wood for the mines in a famous nearby town called Bodie. Mines needed lots of wood for their buildings and tunnels.
Sawmills and Wood Production
The very first sawmill was built at Mono Mills in 1880. A sawmill is a factory where logs are cut into planks and boards. This wood was super important for Bodie's mining operations.
The Bodie & Benton Railway
To get all that wood to Bodie, a special train track was built. In 1881, the Bodie & Benton Railway was created. This was a "narrow-gauge" railroad, meaning its tracks were closer together than regular train tracks. This made it easier to build in the mountains. At its busiest time, Mono Mills shipped nearly 45,000 cords of wood each year. A "cord" is a large stack of wood, usually 4 feet wide, 4 feet high, and 8 feet long.
Images for kids
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This picture shows the end of the Bodie and Benton Railway line at Mono Mills in 1914.
