Death Valley Castle
Death Valley is known for being one of the harshest locations in the USA. It's hot, it's barren and it certainly wasn't the location of the gold mine that was supposedly there and funding the construction of Albert Mussey Johnson's vacation retreat. There wasn't a gold mine, even though Johnson had invested in one.
Walter Scott had gotten Mr. Johnson to invest in a mine that didn't exist. It wasn't a bad deal for Mr. Scott until Mr. Johnson decided to come and see the mine for himself. There was no mine. Pretty hard to keep excited about investing in a mine that doesn't exist.
It was lucky for Mr. Scott that Mr. Johnson became enamored with Death Valley. Because he liked Mr. Scott and thought that Death Valley was truly spectacular he and his wife decided to build a vacation retreat in the valley. It was called Death Valley Ranch but was known to the locals 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.
Today there are tours of the castle for anyone that wants to see it. There are interactive displays, living history exhibits and other displays inside the house. There are guided tours available daily on the hour.
There is a second tour that you can take while at the castle. It is the tour of the underground area of the castle. It shows you the technology incorporated a the time to produce electricity and see the 1/4 mile underground tunnel system that runs under the house.
The National Park Service is in charge of the castle now. It uses some of the underground area to preserve Scotty's Castle. Technology from the past is working with technology of today to keep the castle in good condition. - 2361
Walter Scott had gotten Mr. Johnson to invest in a mine that didn't exist. It wasn't a bad deal for Mr. Scott until Mr. Johnson decided to come and see the mine for himself. There was no mine. Pretty hard to keep excited about investing in a mine that doesn't exist.
It was lucky for Mr. Scott that Mr. Johnson became enamored with Death Valley. Because he liked Mr. Scott and thought that Death Valley was truly spectacular he and his wife decided to build a vacation retreat in the valley. It was called Death Valley Ranch but was known to the locals 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.
Today there are tours of the castle for anyone that wants to see it. There are interactive displays, living history exhibits and other displays inside the house. There are guided tours available daily on the hour.
There is a second tour that you can take while at the castle. It is the tour of the underground area of the castle. It shows you the technology incorporated a the time to produce electricity and see the 1/4 mile underground tunnel system that runs under the house.
The National Park Service is in charge of the castle now. It uses some of the underground area to preserve Scotty's Castle. Technology from the past is working with technology of today to keep the castle in good condition. - 2361
About the Author:
Penelope SanMateo is a travel writer who writes for the California Beautiful travel guide. If you are planning your next vacation, then check out this guide to California Travel Guide. And while you are there, tour the Central Coast California Tourism region to discover more interesting attractions that will make your family vacation one to remember.
posted by Marcondes Allen at 1:48 AM
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