Scotty’s Castle
Located in Death Valley is a castle that was built as a vacation retreat for Albert Mussey Johnson and his wife. Stories told how the castle was built with money earned from a gold mine that he had invested in in the 20’s. Actually, there was no gold mine and his investment was in a dream but out of it he did build his vacation retreat.
Walter Scott was a miner, a dreamer and apparently a scammer to boot. He convinced Mr. Johnson to invest in the gold mine in Death Valley. It was probably going along just fine (with Scott getting his money from the investment) until Mr. Johnson decided to visit. He thought a tour of the mine would be a good idea. It was hard to do since there wasn’t a mine to see.
It was lucky for Mr. Scott that Mr. Johnson became enamored with Death Valley. Because he liked Mr. Scott and thought that Death Valley was truly spectacular he and his wife decided to build a vacation retreat in the valley. It was called Death Valley Ranch but was known to the locals as Scotty’s Castle.
The alure of seeing the retreat built by the “richest gold miner in California” was a huge attraction to the rich and famous. They came to see just what that type of money could buy. Mr. Johnson never told that there was no mine. It would have taken some of the charm away from the retreat to know it was built with money he had earned in other ventures and not the mine.
Daily tours are available on the hour of the castle and the living history exhibits and the displays inside the house. These guided tours will help you understand the lifestyle of the Johnson’s.
Underground tours are offered at the castle too. You will see the Pelton Water Wheel that furnished the castle with electricity at the time of construction. You will also be able to take the 1/4 mile tunnel walk to see what other surprises are there that make the castle special.
Thanks for the National Park Service the castle is maintained for people to visit. Technology from the past and present are both used in the lower level of the castle to keep it functioning as it should. You will enjoy the tour and the history of the castle.
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