Scotty's Castle - Death Valley

This weekend we went to Death Valley, which is around 130 miles from Las Vegas. We drove in at the north entrance so we get into Scotty's Castle early before the crowds came.

Scotty's Castle (Death Valley Ranch) is located in Grapevine Canyon in the northern part of Death Valley. Walter Scott (Scotty) was an infamous cowboy and con artist. He fabricated tales of a secret gold mine and convinced a wealthy businessman, Albert M. Johnson, to invest in his mythical mine. In 1905 Johnson came to Death Valley to check on Scotty's gold mine, only to learn there was no gold mine. Most people would have had Scotty arrested but Albert and Scotty became life long friends. They shared the the love of Death Valley and each other's company. Albert would read and dream about adventures out west while Scotty had lived the adventures. When Scotty was younger he was a rough rider and sharpshooter with the Buffalo Bill's "Wild West" show.

Albert and his wife built this home in Death Valley. They named the homestead, Death Valley Ranch but Scotty, the story teller, told reporters it was Scotty's Castle. Albert enjoyed Scotty's antics, stories, claims and deceptions. When Albert was asked why he supported Scotty and why he allowed Scotty to claim the Castle as his own, he relied "Scotty repays me in laughs." Scotty's Castle is a tribute to the strong partnership where friendship and a good story trumped the importance of money and truth.

I was only able to get pictures of the outside. Inside the house, the heavy drapes on the windows kept all the natural light out. The hot Nevada sun would destroy all the original furnishing in the house. Go to http://www.danheller.com/dv-sct-interiors.html to see pictures from Dan Heller of interior shots of the house.

In the second picture above, you can see Scotty's cross on top of the hill. He is buried there and legend says he continues to over look the ranch.