Legend has it that Death Valley Scotty built his castle on top of his secret gold mine that funded this lavish house. But the true story is even more improbable and interesting!
Hidden in the green oasis of Grapevine Canyon in far northern Death Valley is the Death Valley Ranch, or "Scotty's Castle" as it is more commonly known.
Walter Scott was a rowdy and shady character, with little luck in gold prospecting but great luck in spending investor's money. Albert Mussey Johnson was a well-respected Chicago insurance magnate. The two could not have been more different.
Convinced to invest in Scotty's mine, Mr. Johnson gave thousands of dollars to Scotty over the next several years. Unfortunately, Scotty never delivered the gold.
Undaunted, Mr. Johnson finally decided to take a look at the gold mine on a personal tour of Death Valley. Scotty took Mr. Johnson on a grueling trek by horseback through Death Valley.
Although he never saw Scotty's mine and was most certainly being swindled, Mr. Johnson did not seem to mind. He had found riches in the desert far greater than those that glitter.
In 1920 Albert Mussey Johnson built the house as a vacation getaway for himself and his wife Bessie.
Walter Scott, known as "Death Valley Scotty," convinced everyone that he had built the castle with money from his rich secret mines in the area.
Send me a text but know that I can’t respond here
You will find the full transcript behind the show notes: https://interspanish.buzzsprout.com
If you have a story or topic you would like me to cover, please send your suggestions to: InterSpanishPodcast@gmail.com
Please visit my socials:
https://linktr.ee/InterSpanish
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com