Drawn to California by gold, Louis W. (L.W) De Chambeau's father moved to Bodie from Ontario, Canada, in 1878; L.W. followed two years later when he was 18 along with other members of their French-Canadian family. L.W. purchased the ranch from Nicholas Donero, who sold it to fund exploration in Alaska.
Only a few people struck it rich in California's second gold rush, and Bodie proved to be too much of a big city for the De Chambeau family. They settled in the Mono Basin, intermarried with other ranching families, and worked the property for two generations.
The De Chambeau family was self-sufficient except for a few staples such as sugar and salt they bought from the Hammond general store, which is now the Tioga Lodge on Hwy 395. Their beds were stuffed with feathers from Mono Lake ducks and if they had sore throats, they gargled with Mono Lake water. For Christmas, they enjoyed homemade gifts and sometimes had the treat of an exotic orange in their stockings.
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