Disconnected -- Old Hotel Switchboard at Bodie State Historic Park, California Bath Towel

"Operator, could you help me make this call?" From 1876 until the mid 20th century, telephone operators connected phone calls using patch cords on switchboards. Some were giant contraptions with dozens of operators working for the telephone company and others, like this one, were small units used in offices and hotels.

This switchboard is at the abandoned Wheaton & Hollis Hotel in the ghost town of Bodie, California. The town began as a mining camp after gold was discovered in 1859. It grew into a genuine wild-west boomtown in 1859 when a large deposit of gold ore was found. The boom ended in in the early 1900's and the town was abandoned in 1943. In 1961 it became a National Historic Landmark and then a State Historic Park in 1962.

I have been photographing the things I see for over thirty years. A resident of San Luis Obispo County, I'm lucky to have many excellent photo destinations within a few minutes' or hours' drive. Beyond the local area, I have traveled throughout California and the western United States, visited far away American destinations such as Chicago, New York, Florida, and Alaska, and international destinations in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. My photography varies from Architecture to Industrial Art to Nature to Wildlife and I'm sure you'll find something suitable for your home or office. Visit my blog