A Castle in Death Valley
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Now why anyone would want to live in Death Valley is beyond me but here but Albert Mussey Johnson decided to built his vacation home in Death Valley. It was supposedly built with the money from the gold mine that he had backed but in fact, there was no gold mine and so it was certainly not built with funds from one.
When you get investors for a mining project you really should have a mine. Walter Scott had gotten Mr. Johnson to invest in the mine that was supposedly going to make them both rich. It was working for Mr. Scott until Mr. Johnson decided to come and see the mine for himself. With no mine to see it was impossible for him to get too excited about the mine.
Mr. Johnson and his wife liked Walter Scott, even after the knowledge that there was no mine. Mr. Johnson became enamored by Death Valley and with the encouragement of his wife built a vacation retreat. Although the retreat was actually named Death Valley Ranch it became known as Scotty’s Castle.
The rich and famous came to the retreat when it became a tourist attraction. They wanted to see the retreat built by one of California’s richest gold miners. Of course, had he told that it wasn’t from the riches gained from the non-existent mine there wouldn’t have been nearly the attraction to it that there was at the time.
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.
The second tour available for you while you are at the castle is of the underground area. It shows you the technology used to provide electricity to the castle. There is a 1/4 mile tunnel system that runs under the castle that you will be able to see.
Using the technology of the past in conjunction with the technology of today keeps the castle well preserved. The National Park Service is responsible for maintaining the castle today. The underground area has been incorporated into the workings of the current management so you will get to see some of that along with history as you tour the basement level.
