Lawmen, gunslingers, gamblers, con men, cowboys and Indians, miners and explorers all played their part in painting the West’s colorful history. Certainly among these characters was Death Valley Scotty, possibly the most lovable and well-liked of any con man in history. In fact, he was so charismatic that a multi-million dollar mansion in the heart of the Mojave desert miles from anywhere still bears his name nearly a century after it was built, despite the fact that he never owned it and didn’t pay for its construction. But Scotty’s Castle was where he lived the last three decades of his life and is the location of his final resting place.
Walter Scott, better know as Death Valley Scotty, spent his last days entertaining by telling stories and getting laughs from the guests that stayed in the mansion he had called home for decades. And he had plenty of tales to tell. He had worked on a ranch, gone on cattle drives, worked in a borax mine, and worked for the railroads before joining Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show as a performer. That was all before his nineteenth birthday. He was also one of the all-time great self-promoters, a confidence man, and a swindler. After leaving the Wild West Show, he borrowed two samples of high-grade ore and took them to the East looking for investors, claiming the ore came from his own mine. He even tried the same trick several years later in San Francisco.
For his greatest con, he convinced Albert Johnson, a wealthy Chicago industrialist to invest in his mine. After several years, Johnson realized there was no mine, but by that time he had developed a friendship with Scotty that would last until the end of their lives. That friendship over time led to the creation of one of the truly unique places in the West, Scotty’s Castle.
Johnson had grown so fond of Death Valley and his yearly visits that over a period of a decade he had acquired 1,500 acres of land in Grapevine Canyon and in 1926 construction began on what would become an architectural masterpiece. The stock market crash in 1929 and Johnson’s substantial losses meant that Scotty’s Castle would never be completed to his original plans, but Johnson would speak of completing the project up until his death in 1948.
By the time of Johnson’s death, it had already become a tourist attraction with guests coming from all over to spend the night in the luxurious home. Not only had his Castle become a tourist attraction, Scotty himself had also been a draw that brought people to the middle of the desert to spend a night hearing him weave the stories of his adventurous life. That was how this intriguing man spent his final days until his death in 1954, when he was buried on a hill behind “his” castle. Until just recently, this curiosity had drawn many interested visitors to one of the most remote parts of the Mojave.
Sadly, only employees of Death Valley National Park will have the opportunity to see Scotty’s Castle in person for the next several years. Reading about it and looking at photos is the only way everyone else will be able to experience this historic treasure until at least 2019. That is because in October 2015 Grapevine Canyon was devastated by a flash flood that left miles of road washed out, more than a foot of mud and debris in the visitor center, and significant damage to the mansion. The damage was estimated at $29 million and will take years to repair, but when completed another visit to Scotty’s Castle will be worth the wait.
To find more interesting things to see near Scotty’s Castle, check out our post on Goldpoint, Nevada.
Death Valley National Park, California July 2013
I always love a good story of early Americana. The guy’s gift for self-promotion makes it seem like he could easily have been a modern travel blogger! 🙂 Thanks for sharing a really unique piece of writing!
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Wow, I’ve lived in SoCal all of my life and have never heard of Scotty’s Castle. What a shame that it was damaged a few years ago. I look forward to visiting and exploring the area with my kids when it reopens in a couple of years.
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So sad to hear that the castle will be inaccessible to the public over the next few years. The former owner sounds like a legend. Would have loved to see how he lived.
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How great this would be to see and how sad it was that it was affected so badly by that flash flood. I would love to see it once it re-opens. It would really be so interesting as I really enjoyed reading the background you provided in this post.
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I will be visiting Death Valley this year and am devastated that I won’t be able to see this place. It is so sad to see something like this be destroyed by the power of nature. And it is taking such a long time to get it back up. Such interesting history to the place and I am sure it was grand back in the day. Hopefully they restore everything and we are once more able to visit.
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This mansion looks beautiful but name is Death Valley so I am little scared. Guides wearing 1930’s costume is also a practical approach to understand history. A nice writeup.
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Thanks. I think the name Death Valley has what attracted a lot of the visitors to the park, but once there they are amazed by the beauty of the desert.
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I’m learning so much from reading your blog! I hadn’t heard of Death Valley Scotty before this post, but it almost feels like I personally know him now. It’s crazy what you could get away with in the past, and even crazier that Johnson stayed friends with Scotty even after getting conned!
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He must have been a real character to get away with what he did. I would have loved to have been one of those guests who got to sit around the dinner table and hear him weave is tales.
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That is a real shame about the flood. It looks like a gorgeous place to visit and perhaps in 2019 when it is repaired we can come and visit
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It is in a very isolated location but worth the drive, especially if you add a trip to not to far Gold Point ghost town.
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I love fascinating history, and this is no exception. Scotty sounds like a real gem; men with charisma always seem to go far, and he went very far indeed. I can’t believe his friend Johnson stayed in touch even after he learned he was being scammed! Wow! So sad to hear we can’t go see it yet (damage like that is always so heartbreaking for original architecture), but when it’s reopened, we’ll put it on our list for sure! Thanks for sharing!
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Thanks. I certainly would recommend a visit when it reopens if you get the chance. It is amazing and when touring you can almost feel the people around the dinner table listening intently while Scotty told his tales.
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Such sad news to hear that Scotty’s castle was damaged by flash floods. A very interesting background to Scotty’s con man days. I wouldn’t have the guts to con a man into investing in a mine. I bet it would be worth the wait to visit Scotty’s Castle.
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This is an awesome story. I thought stuff like this only happened in old movies. Too bad about the flood, but I would still check it out.
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How awesome it would have been to hear the stories in person ! I love westerns and the stories that go with them. Sucks about the flood and can’t wait for the repairs to be done. I would like to visit this someday.
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That is a nice piece of history. This place looks like a haunted mansion from the movies. I doubt if I want to spend a night there.
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What an amazing drive of history, though it’s a mere loss for the public who won’t be able to witness such a beautiful place. I would surely want to visit Death Valley and go inside, to feel every glimpse of word you told here.
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I love the fact that the guides are in period costume! It makes it more realistic and a bit of fun!
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Great storytelling, thanks for sharing.
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Thanks. Such nice compliments are always appreciated.
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Oh! It’s such a pity to hear that a beautiful place like this is damaged by a natural disaster! Hope they would re-open soon.
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Very interesting story there. Tidbits like these add so much depth to the experience of exploring a place, don’t you think? Otherwise its just another castle made of stone.
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Wow I love the story behind the castle. As always, those stories are the best. Such a shame it’s under repair for so long. I hope it retains all of its character and history when it reopens.
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Thanks. I hope it keeps its character too. I know that the damage was extensive, but I think the long time frame has more to do with funding to repair it more than anything else.
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what a shame about the flood! That sounds like such a good fun place to go!
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