Historic Treasures of the National Parks: Scotty’s Castle
Since the 1930’s Scotty’s Castle has been a popular tourist destination in Death Valley National Park, in America. The National Park Service manages and preserves this unique historic resource.
This story was created for the Google Expeditions project by Gold Creek VR, now available on Google Arts & Culture
This is the story of the castle and why it's a Historic Treasure of the National Parks.
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Scotty’s Castle, Death Valley, California
Scotty’s Castle is in the northern end of Death Valley National Park in California’s Mojave Desert. Begun in 1922 the construction took place over several years and was never completed.
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The man who paid for it was a Chicago millionaire who hired local Shoshone Indians for the construction, along with skilled craftsmen, cabinetmakers, tile setters and iron-workers. The tale of why it is called “Scotty’s Castle” is one of the west’s most intriguing and curious tales.
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The Castle Gate
The Spanish style hacienda building with a tower and arches isn’t really a “castle”. It’s an elegant home, built to be a winter getaway for a Chicago millionaire and his wife. The large main gate holds a clue to the “Castle’s” story. Note the letters S and J for Scotty and Johnson.
Walter Scott AKA Death Valley Scotty
Walter Scott arrived in the Death Valley country in 1902 with $10,000 in his pockets given to him by a New York banker as an investment in his secret gold mine. But Scott used the money to create the illusion that he had a secret mine and to build his reputation as “Death Valley Scotty!”
Albert M Johnson
Johnson owned a life insurance company in Chicago and suffered from a broken back. When Scotty visited Chicago one day he met Johnson and struck up a friendship. Johnson visited Death Valley, traveled with Scotty, enjoyed Scotty’s wild west tales and the desert heat helped his back.
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Scotty’s Castle, Courtyard
Inside the gates the grandeur of the home can be seen. Above the main entrance to the home are carved the words “Death Valley Ranch.” That was the castle’s real name! To keep up the reputation of his secret gold mine and fabulous wealth, Scotty called it his “Castle”. His friend, Mr. Johnson, who owned and built the ranch, encouraged Scotty’s game.
Castle Construction (1929-05-22)Original Source: http://www.nps.gov/museum/exhibits/death_valley/exb/Scottys_Castle/Scans/Castle_Architecture/DEVA40729_castleConstruction.html
Construction
More than 100 men worked in the construction crew and most were local Native American Shoshone. They did the drudging manual labor that machines would do today, getting paid $2.50 a day. Other workers were brought in from Los Angeles, but it was hard to keep them as the harsh conditions and summer heat drove them away.
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Arches
The use of arches in the courtyard are like Roman styled arches used throughout the Mediterranean countries. The arches at either end contain ornate gates and the arch over the courtyard is an open passageway connecting the buildings.
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Two Main Buildings
The two main buildings connected by the archway, along with other buildings on the property contain 14 fireplaces, 14 bathrooms, four kitchens and an electric generating system. Water was piped in from nearby springs and though the castle was in the remote desert it was self-sustaining with its own water and power.
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Scotty’s Castle, The Great Hall
Mr. Johnson spared no expense in making his home grand. This room is called The Great Hall. Nearly everything in the home was imported. Oriental rugs, imported tiles, special leather draperies, hand made iron and silver work, custom built Spanish furniture, antiques and special ornaments create a unique, rare and one-of-a-kind home.
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Fireplace
The Great Hall has a grand fireplace at one of the room located directly across from the fountain. The fireplace is impressive in scale, extending all the way up through the ceiling.
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Ceiling
The large, carved wooden beams can be seen in the two-story high ceiling. All the wood was brought in by train to a stop about 20 miles away. Mule teams pulling wagons and four-wheel drive trucks brought all furnishings and building materials to the construction site.
SCOTTY AND THE JOHNSONS by Gold Creek VR
Scotty and the Johnsons
It was here in the Great Hall that Scotty told his stories of his days with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show in the 1890s. He entertained Mr. and Mrs. Johnson and their guests and talked about his secret gold mine. Rumors that the “castle” was built on top of Scotty’s secret gold mine continued until the day Scotty passed away.
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Fountain
The fountain is made of native jasper and has a continuous stream of water flowing on its rock face.
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Scotty’s Castle, Scotty’s Room
This room directly off the Great Hall was “Scotty’s Room”. Mr. Johnson built it as a special room for his friend and the rustic feel of the room including the hand-carved furniture was designed to match Scotty’s wild west character. The problem is that Scotty rarely stayed here as he lived in a little house Johnson built for him a couple of miles away.
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Scotty's Clothes
The clothing in the armoire belonged to Death Valley Scotty. The tall Stetson hat was a signature piece of Scotty’s wardrobe. He was also known for wearing dark pants, a white shirt and red tie, of which all the originals can still be seen.
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The Coyote Special
On top of the armoire is a souvenir program from Scotty’s record breaking railroad run from Los Angeles to Chicago in 1905 called “The Coyote Special”.
Col. W. F. Cody "Buffalo Bill" (ca. 1900) by StacyAmon Carter Museum of American Art
Buffalo Bill
The large portrait of Buffalo Bill Cody hangs in Scotty’s room as a tribute to the time Scotty spent in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show. Scotty joined the show in 1890 and toured throughout Europe and then the United States. The show brought the Wild West to life with cowboys, Indians, stage robberies and trick riders like Scotty.
Scottie (1907-06) by Larson PhotographyOriginal Source: http://www.nps.gov/museum/exhibits/death_valley/exb/Scottys_Castle/scans/Scotty/DEVA_60760_01_ITEM_053_Scotty.html
Scotty in Wild West Show
In 1902 Scotty missed the opening parade of the show in New York. He was docked pay for missing the parade and then decided to quit. Without a job he took a couple of souvenir nuggets of gold his wife had and convinced a wealthy banker to invest in a ‘secret’ gold mine in Death Valley. Scotty took the $10,000 and headed west. It was the beginning of the legend of Death Valley Scotty!
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Scotty’s Castle, Music Room
The Music Room, located on the 2nd floor of the adjoining building of the castle, is ornate and grand. When the castle became a tourist destination during the late 1930s and 1940s the music room was where guest musicians from around the world would perform.
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Guest artists from the Los Angeles symphony played here and special events like weddings and christenings would be held in this spectacular room.
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Ceiling
Notice the wooden arches in the ceiling. There are 60 panels of hand-carved wood each with a unique design. Along the border of the ceiling are tile medallions with coats of arms and crests from countries like Austria, Switzerland and Spain. This room alone gives an idea of Mr. Johnson’s wealth as everything in this room was brought from long distances and even foreign countries.
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The Organ
The organ is a pipe organ with the pipes hidden behind the raised stage. On the stage is a small automatic console. Rollers are inserted into the console to play music automatically. The organ plays itself much like the old “player-pianos” did. A guest organist would play the console located in the other corner of the room.
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Raphael's Madonna
The painting and the ornate gold frame is an exact replica of Raphael’s “Madonna of the Chair” which hangs in Florence, Italy. It is appropriate as Mr. and Mrs. Johnson were very religious people. Mrs. Johnson even had a radio show and preached an evangelistic type of message to anyone who would listen.
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The Clock, the Cross and the Castle
This view of the Castle situated in Grapevine Canyon features the Castle’s surrounding environment and additional buildings. Though located in Death Valley National Park this canyon is at a 3000-foot elevation and does not get the intense heat which is typical of the lower elevations. The mountains in the distance to the left of the clock tower form the western boundary of Death Valley itself.
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Chimes Tower
The chimes tower is one of the castle’s most visible landmarks and is more than 5 stories tall. It keeps time and there are 25 chimes in the tower. When the clock strikes the hour, the chimes played a selected roll of music for ten minutes. The music can be changed from a room in the Castle or a tune can be played from a keyboard.
Castle Grounds
This photo was used to prove that Scotty had a secret gold mine under the castle. The caption also stated that armed guards were positioned in the chimes tower to watch over the location of the secret gold mine.
The Cross on the Hill
The cross on ‘Windy Point’ marks the grave of Death Valley Scotty. Walter Edward Scott passed away in 1954 and was buried overlooking the castle and Valley he loved so much. He often said he didn’t want “no fancy marker! Just put up a sign saying, ‘Here he is!” The castle employees at the time erected the huge cross.
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Scotty’s Castle, View from the Chimes Tower
From the tallest building in Death Valley National Park, the chimes tower, the view facing East features the castle as well as the desert mountains in the background leading into Nevada. It also features a view down the canyon leading into Death Valley itself. It is down this canyon to what is called lower grapevine canyon where Scotty lived.
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Castle Complex
From this high vantage point the castle complex of buildings can clearly be seen. Just beyond the castle tower is a two-story guest house with 2 two-bedroom apartments. At the far end of the driveway beyond the castle were the stables which eventually were converted to a garage.
SCOTTY AND JOHNSON by Gold Creek VR
Scotty and Johnson
This photo of Walter Scott (Death Valley Scotty) and Albert M. Johnson reveals their friendship. While it was Mr. Johnson’s money that built the castle, it was Scotty who gave the place its personality and charm.
SCOTTY AND THE JOHNSONS by Gold Creek VR
For Mr. Johnson, his friend Scotty represented the spirit of the wild west which Johnson loved and sought to re-live.
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The Road to and from the Castle
The road leading to and from the castle winds up the canyon from Death Valley. Along the way there are fence posts that mark the property boundary of the castle. The posts are uniquely marked denoting the friendship between Mr. Johnson and Scotty with the circle containing both J and S.
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Scotty’s Castle, View from the Unfinished Pool
This view is from the middle of the unfinished swimming pool and directly in front of the front entrance to “Death Valley Ranch” or The Castle. The tiled stairs to the main entrance and the covered patio just off the Great Hall are featured in this view. The chimes tower can be seen to the West and the two-story apartment and support buildings are to the East.
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Spanish Style
The Spanish style influence is clearly seen in this view of the porch. The arches, the tiles, the wrought iron works and the wood working. The room with Bay windows in an angled, octagon style is the solarium where the sun could filter into the room and provide a relaxing environment.
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The Pool
Symbolic of the financial troubles which occurred with the great depression, the unfinished pool was the legacy of Mr. Johnsons financial loses. Though some work continued on the castle, Johnson was unable to complete the pool, and the tiles are stacked in tunnels under the castle.
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The Castle Legacy
Considering the remote location here in Grapevine Canyon, the dream of two men is realized on the western frontier. At a time when building grand homes by the richest of men was popular, these men cherished the beauty and grandeur of America’s most remote and desolate desert.
Walter Scott, Bessie Johnson, and Albert Johnson Sitting on PatioOriginal Source: http://www.nps.gov/museum/exhibits/death_valley/exb/Scottys_Castle/scans/Johnsons/DEVA41341_photograph.html
Their friendship created a legacy which has enriched the lives of visitors to Death Valley National Park ever since.
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