Scotty's Castle
The Story Behind Scotty's Castle

Some say Death Valley Scotty paid for the Castle with gold from his secret mine. Others say his partner, Chicago millionaire Albert Johnson, built it. Regardless of who built it, it is a testament to ingenuity and the character of people involved.

The resulting structure is a beautiful example of Spanish-Mediterranean styling filled with unique hand-wrought iron and tile, custom-made furniture, hand-selected tapestries and many European antiques. The resulting friendship between two differing people is also part of the story. So, whose castle was it?

A Desert Legend is Born...

Regardless of the source of his income, Death Valley Scotty certainly remains one of Death Valley's greatest legends for his flamboyant and outrageous character. Born Walter Scott in 1872, he ran away as a young boy from his home in Kentucky to join his brother on a ranch in the Nevada desert.

He worked numerous jobs in the area, including a few in Death Valley, a place he loved immediately and which would someday become his home. In 1890, a talent scout for Bill Cody discovered Scotty and hired him to work as a cowboy with Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show.

After traveling the world with the Wild West show for twelve years, Scotty began a new profession that brought him even more fame and riches - gold prospecting. He convinced several wealthy businessmen that he had a claim to a gold mine worth a fortune in Death Valley. Scotty agreed to split the profits, provided they first offer money to extract the ore.

Scotty apparently had little luck while prospecting in Death Valley over the next few years. All of Scotty's investors felt that they had been conned after receiving no results from this fabled gold mine, and began to back out of their investments. However, the desert dweller often turned up at the finest hotels and saloons of California and Nevada, and began what would become his legendary spending sprees.

Continue