Scotty’s Castle
Nestled in the bottom of Grapevine Canyon in northern Death Valley is the Spanish-style mansion known as Scotty’s Castle, or Death Valley Ranch. The massive home, complete with turrets, fountains, and a huge pipe organ, has a striking and unusual history that has captivated visitors for a century.
The mansion’s namesake Walter Perry Scott, otherwise known as Death Valley Scotty, was an ex-Buffalo Bill trick rider and learned well from the showman the art of publicity how to use it to promote himself as a rich gold miner from the mysterious Death Valley with a fabulous secret gold mine. Scotty collected thousands of dollars from investors that he claimed would go toward operations at his gold mine and to help develop other mines in order to produce a handsome return. The only problem was, Scotty didn’t own a single mine and never intended to!
While most investors dropped out after becoming wise to Scotty’s hype and schemes, a wealthy businessman from Chicago wouldn’t let it go. Albert M. Johnson, who had poured thousands into Scotty’s operation, discovered there was no gold mine when he visited Death Valley. Despite being swindled, he struck up a friendship with Scotty that would last the rest of their lives.
Click or tap the image to learn more.
A PALACE IN THE DESERT
The dry desert air was good for Albert’s broken back, and after a while he seemed more amused by Scotty’s antics than his concern for the money Scotty had swindled. Albert and his wife Bessie spent many winters in Death Valley, and eventually she requested they build a home that would make their visits more comfortable.
In 1922 the couple started construction on the castle, where they built space for Scotty to live as well. Significant work on the castle had already been completed when the Johnsons discovered that the castle had accidentally been built on federal land instead of the land Johnson had purchased. By that point, the Great Depression had left Albert’s business bust and they couldn’t afford to redo the work, which was halted indefinitely.
The Johnsons gave the castle to the Gospel Foundation upon their deaths in the 1940s, and Scotty lived there until he died in 1954. He was buried on the hillside nearby. In 1970 the National Park Service bought the property, and started offering tours that give visitors a chance to see the intricate furnishings, tile work, and architecture of the castle.
Click or tap the image to learn more.
SCOTTY’S CASTLE IN VIRTUAL REALITY
The 21st Century tech meets 20th Century tech at Scotty’s Castle! The flood recovery work at Scotty’s Castle continues, but while we await its reopening you can take multiple digital adventures and explore Scotty’s Castle in stunning, interactive 3D detail.
The Death Valley Conservancy is excited to have sponsored the development of Scotty’s Castle in 3D with the collaboration of the National Park Service. The interactive sections below allows you to easily navigate the rooms and grounds of the castle. Linger as long as you like in each space, there are many intricate details to marvel at in this incredible desert jewel. As a bonus, if you have Virtual Reality (VR) goggles, you can enable a fully immersive experience tailored just to VR.
FRIENDS OF SCOTTY’S CASTLE FUND
The Friends of Scotty’s Castle Fund supports interpretation and improvements at Scotty’s Castle that might not otherwise be possible. Projects such as the virtual reality tour are supported by the fund. Please consider donating to keep the adventures alive for future generations.
GRAPEVINE CANYON FLOOD & OUTBUILDINGS FIRE
Scotty’s Castle was closed to visitors in October 2015 when massive flooding washed out the access road and utility infrastructure, and damaged some of the buildings on the property. Over the course of five hours, three inches of rain fell in the area around Grapevine Canyon. Because the desert soil cannot quickly absorb such a massive amount of water, catastrophic flooding and washouts occurred, with mud and debris infiltrating some outlying buildings on the castle grounds. Thankfully, the main castle building was mostly spared, and the mud and debris has largely been cleared from the property.
Then, in April 2021 during ongoing repairs, the historic garage and another historic structure tragically caught fire. The damage was extensive to the outbuildings involved, but the main castle building survived unscathed. The investigation into the cause of the fire was inconclusive. The Park intends to rebuild the historic garage, which was used as a visitor center.
While the park service is working to redesign and rebuild the road and repair the buildings and utilities, the site is closed to the public until 2023.
Click or tap the image to learn more.
THE CONSERVANCY AT WORK
Thank you generous donors for making these exciting projects possible.