Death Valley Scenic Byway
Scotty's Castle, CA

Some say Death Valley Scotty paid for Scotty's Castle with gold from his secret mine. Others say his partner, Chicago millionaire Albert Johnson built it. Perhaps you can decide while strolling through the grounds on your own, or maybe while joining a park ranger on a 1939 living history tour of the mansion.

Regardless of the source of his income, Death Valley Scotty certainly remains Death Valley's greatest legend for his flamboyant and outrageous character. Born Walter Scott in 1872, he ran away as a young boy from his home in Kentucky to join his brother on a ranch in Nevada.

He worked numerous jobs in the area, including a few in Death Valley, a place he loved immediately and which would someday become his home. In 1890, a talent scout for Buffalo Bill Cody discovered Scotty and hired him to work as a cowboy with the Wild West show.

After traveling the world with the Wild West for twelve years, Scotty began a new profession that brought him even more fame and riches - gold prospecting. He convinced several wealthy businessmen that he had claim to a gold mine worth a fortune in Death Valley. Scotty agreed to split the profits, provided they first offer enough money to extract the ore.

Scotty apparently had little luck while prospecting in Death Valley over the next few years. However, the desert dweller often turned up at the finest hotels and saloons of California and Nevada, and began what would become his legendary spending sprees.