Scotty’s Castle in Death Valley National Park

Nestled within the surprising verdancy of Grapevine Canyon in the northern reaches of Death Valley National Park, California, stands an architectural marvel known as the Death Valley Ranch, though more popularly recognized as Scotty’s Castle. This extraordinary estate offers a captivating glimpse into the opulent Roaring Twenties and the austere years of the Great Depression. It represents a confluence of dreams: an engineer’s vision realized in stone, a wealthy woman’s desert sanctuary, and a charismatic figure’s enigmatic refuge.

(Editor’s Note: The National Park Service has temporarily closed Scotty’s Castle to facilitate essential repairs following significant damage caused by a flash flood in 2015, and later, a fire. Currently, access to the Castle and Grapevine Canyon is restricted to ticketed tours only. Please refer to the NPS website for the most up-to-date information.)

The enduring legend surrounding Scotty’s Castle centers on Walter Scott, famously known as Death Valley Scotty. He propagated the myth that he single-handedly financed the castle’s construction with riches derived from his clandestine gold mines in the region. The reality, however, is that Albert Mussey Johnson, a Chicago millionaire, commissioned the estate as a tranquil retreat for himself and his wife, Bessie. Scotty, with his captivating persona, served as the engaging entertainer and face of the operation, while Johnson provided the financial backing and architectural vision. The story of Scotty’s Castle is the story of two contrasting men, from different backgrounds, united by an unlikely friendship and a shared desert dream.

In 1904, Walter Scott, then in Chicago, Illinois, sought investors for his purported gold mines. He successfully persuaded Albert Johnson to invest in his venture. Despite Johnson’s investment yielding no tangible returns, even after dispatching an investigator who confirmed the absence of any gold mine, he continued to support Scott. In 1906, Johnson traveled to California to personally assess the situation. Although he discovered no gold mines and was subjected to Walter Scott’s elaborate charade, famously known as the "Battle" of Wingate Pass, the arid climate and outdoor lifestyle had a surprisingly positive effect on his health.

Between 1906 and 1922, Johnson made approximately half a dozen trips to the area. Scott would invariably greet Johnson upon his arrival, acting as his guide. Together, they would traverse the desolate Death Valley wilderness on horseback, camping in simple canvas tents. These excursions would often last for as long as a month.

Initially, Johnson’s interests were primarily focused on the numerous mining claims in which he had invested or heard about. However, his fascination with the region soon evolved into something far more personal. He found respite from the pressures of his business life and the harsh Chicago winters in the desert landscape. These desert retreats proved remarkably beneficial for his health, alleviating ailments stemming from a severe railroad accident he had suffered in 1899.

Johnson began acquiring land in Grapevine Canyon in 1915. Within two years, he had amassed several hundred acres, with further purchases over the ensuing years. He then fulfilled the requirements of the Desert Land Act of 1871 to acquire an additional 1200 acres. This legislation mandated a minimum level of irrigation and improvements to the land before a claim could be legally secured. By 1929, Johnson had completed the necessary developments on the 1200 acres, solidifying his claim. Ultimately, the land, totaling around 1,500 acres, comprised two separate parcels approximately eight miles apart, known as the Upper and Lower Ranches.

Bessie Johnson later wrote, "What had started as a business expedition to inspect some mining claims transformed into a regular seasonal vacation and ultimately into a ten-year building campaign. The subtle allures of the desert combined with the captivating companionship of the likable Walter Scott, known to the public as Death Valley Scotty, to persuade Albert to forsake the luxuries of a marble mansion on the shores of Lake Michigan."

However, that alone doesn’t fully explain such an unusual decision. Many accounts highlight Johnson’s friendship with Walter Scott as the key factor in his decision to build Scotty’s Castle here. Scott introduced Johnson to the area. Johnson had been an investor in Scott’s phony mining schemes. In 1906, Johnson made his first trip to Death Valley to inspect the mines Scott had claimed existed. The entire region was undergoing its last great mining boom due to the silver strikes in Goldfield and Tonopah, not far from Death Valley. The two men traveled together, investigating mines. Not long after his first visit, Johnson realized the truth about Scott.

Even after realizing Scott had lied and cheated him, Johnson befriended him. Perhaps Johnson saw Scott as one of the last romantic figures of the Wild West, or perhaps he was captivated by Scott’s stories. Despite Scott’s reputation, Johnson felt that Scott was reliable. Though Scott’s involvement in construction was minimal, he was a resident of the Ranch and a welcome guest of the Johnsons.

Albert Johnson, born into wealth in Ohio, was raised religiously and never swore, smoked, or drank. After graduating from Cornell University in civil engineering, he married Bessilyn Morris Penniman and made his fortune in finance. In 1899, Johnson and his father were in a train wreck. Johnson’s father died, and Albert broke his back. He was bedridden for 18 months but recovered, though crippled.

Scott was raised on a Kentucky horse farm. At eleven, Scott ran away to join his brothers as ranch hands in Nevada. After working as a water boy and running mules in Death Valley, Scotty worked for twelve years as a rough rider in the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show. He moved back to Death Valley, established a camp near Grapevine Canyon, and adopted it as his home. The two men continued to hike and camp together.

Besides their friendship, Johnson and his wife appreciated the protection afforded by the unpopulated land. She would later say: "We had traveled along through the sage for three hours and had seen no one… The peace of it is such a joy after the turmoil of life outside. The mountains are fortresses of protection."

Until 1921, Johnson made month-long trips to the desert. He looked forward to escaping business worries. 1921 proved financially mixed. The National Life Insurance Company, of which Johnson was president, had its best year, but another company, North American Cold Storage, lost over $150,000, depressing Johnson.

To relieve his feelings, he took time off to travel. In September 1921, Johnson wrote to his sister Cliffe, describing how he had felt renewed and what he hoped for the future. "The little week’s trip I had away showed me how tired I was and how much I needed a change and a rest… I am going to try to be away a little more this coming year."

A few days later, Johnson told his sister he was going on a month-long trip, ending in Goldfield, Nevada, 60 miles from his Death Valley property. "This is hardly a pleasure trip but more of a business trip, as there are several things I want to look over, and we are going to make some changes on the ranch."

In 1922, Johnson built crude structures to make his visits more comfortable. In the fall, Johnson hired Frederick William Kropf as construction superintendent to live and work on his ranch. Kropf, a carpenter, oversaw construction of a garage, a two-story main house, and a cookhouse. They had flat roofs and white stucco finishes.

The work proceeded slowly at first, with only a few men employed. Within a year, a crew of about 30 men lived and worked at the site. Most were Shoshone or Paiute Indians. The rest were skilled whites recruited in Los Angeles, California. The crew was divided into teams. Kropf believed in unions and maintained an eight-hour day and six-day week.

Because of extreme summer temperatures, construction was generally suspended for June and July. Materials were shipped by train to Bonnie Claire, Nevada, about 20 miles northeast of the site. From there, they were hauled over dirt roads. All construction was manual. Walter Scott’s mules pulled a Fresno scraper for excavation.

Once the main building was finished, the Johnsons took residence in the upstairs apartment. Scott moved from his shack to the room below the Johnsons’ apartment. This freed the shack for other employees.

Johnson was deeply involved in every aspect of construction, giving Kropf verbal instructions. Scott’s responsibilities were minimal. For the first year, Scott cooked all the meals for the white crew. Melba, Kropf’s daughter, was hired in August 1923, to replace Scott as a cook. Melba lived in the storeroom next to the kitchen in the garage.

Kropf and his son Milton put in a concrete floor and shared one of the "tie shacks." Milton helped fill out the payroll and reports and sent them to Johnson’s secretary, Miss Devlin, in Chicago. Johnson provided housing, usually tents or temporary structures, with room and board deducted from wages. The Indians provided their housing and did not pay for room and board, but their wages were usually lower.

Johnson insisted that the two groups live separately in segregated camps. The Indian camp was beyond Johnson’s property. Johnson did not allow drinking and forbade white visitation of the Indian camp.

Every day Bessie was at the ranch, she held religious services that the white men had to attend. Kropf, raised as a Mormon, interrupted Bessie once. Not long afterward, Kropf was let go in July 1924. Melba had been fired three months earlier.

In the winter of 1924, Johnson tried to find a replacement for Kropf and made efforts to locate Matt Roy Thompson. Thompson had been a friend of the Johnsons for a long time. The Johnsons contacted Thompson, who was employed by the Interstate Commerce Commission as a land appraiser.

Thompson traveled to Chicago to discuss the project. Johnson offered him the position, and then Thompson accompanied the Johnsons to Death Valley to see the project. Thompson requested a one-year leave of absence and accepted the position as general superintendent at the Death Valley Ranch. Thompson expected to resume his activities after a year, but his commitment grew, and he stayed in Johnson’s employ for six years.

Thompson assumed his duties in October 1925. The stables, chicken coop, and workshop/shed were under construction. By the time Thompson arrived, the stables required only finishing touches. The long shed required more work and was one of Thompson’s first major projects. The chicken coop was nearing completion but was used for housing instead and became the "bunkhouse." A chicken coop was then located in the long shed. All three buildings were designed by Albert Johnson. By 1924, a separate Cook House was finished that was devoted to preparing meals for the white crew. Thompson’s office and private apartment replaced the storeroom and cook shack.

Thompson’s first project was a one-story building parallel to the north of the main building. In January 1926, Thompson recruited workers in Los Angeles. It was made of concrete and would serve various purposes. Originally known as the "Cellar," it would later be called the "Commissary" or "Commissary Building." The Commissary served as a storeroom for foodstuffs and supplies. A large open-air room sheltered a work area for construction machinery and later served as a garage. The room to the west became the "Power Room," where a Pelton water wheel would drive a small electric generator.

Around that time, a reporter visited the ranch. An article in the March 1926 issue of Sunset magazine described the buildings at the Ranch as follows:

"Already there is a two-story building of concrete construction [the main house], with screened-in sleeping quarters, luxurious bathrooms and expansive dining quarters. There is a garage that houses three trucks and two passenger cars and has sufficient empty space to care for a fire department. There is another enormous building [stables] that shelters mules used in the development work. And Scotty is building a plant [the Commissary Building] to generate electricity by the use of power that comes from spring water flowing from higher ground."

This is only one of the many articles that mention Scott. The activity at the Ranch, combined with its location, began to travel far and wide. The Johnsons chose this location to escape the city. They certainly did not mean to attract the public’s attention. The lavishness was to please themselves and their guests. The Johnsons allowed Scott to claim the building as his.

Scott loved being center stage. Neither Albert nor Bessie cared for that attention. Albert tried to keep his name out of the newspapers and relied on Scott to handle publicity. Albert must have realized he needed a front to evade the public’s scrutiny. When asked about his relationship to Scott and the ranch, Johnson said, "I’m only his banker." Though Scott had nothing to do with the construction, Johnson allowed Scott to be the figurehead. Friends knew the truth, but most of the public was unaware. The sham is so convincing that it’s hard to separate fact from fiction.

Not long after construction began, Johnson hired architect Charles Alexander MacNeilledge. On June 4, 1926, the two men entered into a contract for the "designing and preparation of sketches and detailed working drawing… for my main house or residence with attached porches and pergolas, etc., located in Grapevine Canyon, Death Valley, Inyo County, California." The quote indicates that some basic design elements were already decided upon, particularly the use of specific materials and the emphasis on metal hardware and custom-made lighting fixtures.

The style chosen for the Valley Ranch complex has been called Spanish Colonial Revival, Spanish Mediterranean, Spanish Villa, Hacienda, or Spanish Moorish. Bessie Johnson called it "Spanish Provincial." Albert Johnson termed it "The Spanish Style."

Working conditions under Thompson varied. An eight-hour day was standard for the first several years. In March 1929, a nine-hour day was instituted, and several Indians quit. The construction season varied. Generally, the Indians began working in September, and the white crew started work in October. Construction was suspended every year because of the summer heat for two to four weeks. Sometimes the winter cold or snow would force Thompson to halt work.

The strict segregation between white and Indian employees continued. Any white found visiting the Indian camp was fired. Room and board were provided for white employees, deducted from their wages. Most men lived in temporary structures. The Indians provided their own tents and established their camp beyond Johnson’s land. They must have provided their own food, for no deductions are recorded.

Johnson opposed any drinking at the camp. There were three incidents when the problem of carousing and drinking was so extreme that a group of men was fired, and the camp closed temporarily.

In September 1930, Johnson imposed further restrictions. Thompson reported the following implementation of Johnson’s wishes.

"All employees have signed a new working agreement including a clause permitting us to inspect all cars leaving camp, and also to the effect that men interested in prospecting will not be retained on the job. No men under 24 years old are employed, and we have cut off the aged ones, as per our talk."

Johnson was aware that the Depression put many men out of work. Johnson had the present crew fired and an almost entirely new workforce hired in September 1930 to reduce the pay rate. Superintendent Thompson reported to Johnson:

"The work started up in full force again yesterday morning, at a total reduction in wages amounting to more than $25.00 a day under last season’s schedule. Carpenters are now getting $6 a day and board, and Indians $3 without board. Other men have been reduced in proportion, and all seemed to take the reduction in good spirit."

The firing of one crew and the hiring of another was repeated in February 1931 to take advantage of the falling wage scales. Scott had been known to say that it took three crews to make any progress: one coming, one going, and one working.

In the late 1920s, proposals to make Death Valley a component of the National Park and Monument system were increasingly coming to the forefront. In July 1930, President Herbert Hoover signed an executive order that withdrew over two million acres of land from the public domain. Within months U.S. Government surveys were mapping the lands within the valley. The survey team, headed by U.S. Transitman, Roger Wilson, used Ranch as a base camp and supply station.

Wilson kept Thompson informed of the survey’s progress. In December 1930, Wilson apprised Thompson of an "unexpected situation" that "might possibly throw the new township line right through the main house instead of a half-mile south of it."

The following January, Wilson explained the situation, and Thompson recounted it to Johnson.

"Mr. Roger Wilson, U. S. Transit man, was just in and explained to me the status of the survey… If you could influence the General Land Office in Washington to order this to be done, it will straighten out the situation here so that the Saline Valley survey will govern and thus throw all the improvements north of the park boundary line."

Over the next several weeks, Johnson met with authorities to determine the outcome. Such uncertainty must have caused Johnson to rethink his plans for the Ranch. In February 1931, Johnson instructed Thompson to close the camp for two weeks and meet him in Los Angeles to discuss operations at the Ranch. One goal was to establish a lower wage scale.

An entire new crew would replace those presently working. This included the dismissal of the architect, Charles Alexander MacNeilledge. The connection between the land problems and MacNeilledge’s dismissal is unclear. Perhaps Johnson felt constrained by time and money and wanted drawings more timely.

Not too long after MacNeilledge’s dismissal and the hiring of a new crew, construction ceased. The final payroll was dated August 23, 1931. Although the reason has been the Depression, the uncertainty of Johnson’s ownership seems a more likely explanation. The gravel separator and solar heater were greatly expanded in 1930, after the stock market crash, disproving that the Depression caused the shutdown.

In February 1933, President Hoover signed the proclamation making Death Valley a National Monument, encompassing the Ranch. In August 1935, President Franklin Roosevelt signed a bill allowing Johnson to buy the land. The act allowed Johnson to purchase the lands for $1.25 an acre. By November 1937, the patent was issued, and the 1,529 acres were purchased. Johnson had lost most of his fortune and could not resume construction.

The Depression did not immediately affect Johnson’s fortunes. In 1933 the National Life Insurance Company went into receivership. Johnson had invested the company’s assets in banking. National Life had purchased shares of Continental Illinois.

The heavy investment Johnson made in a rayon factory in Burlington, North Carolina, only compounded matters. The plant never opened. The two million dollars Johnson invested failed to return a cent. Much of the money came from National Life. When National went Into receivership, the plant and the life insurance company were put on the auction block.

National was awarded to Sears, Roebuck, and Co. and renamed Hercules Life. Some claim that Johnson’s fascination with the Castle caused his downfall. Johnson had built his hideaway in such an eccentric location because he did not want neighbors and regularly felt the need to escape business pressures. Johnson’s absences from Chicago were felt at the office. The Castle had no telephone, and the nearest telegraph station and post office was 25 miles away. Some felt that if he had attended more closely to business, he would have averted the collapse of National Life.

Although Johnson lacked a steady income, he retained property holdings: homes in Chicago and Hollywood, Shadelands Ranch, and the Castle. Johnson sold his home in Chicago and developed other revenue sources. The house in Hollywood offered little income. The Shadelands Ranch produced as it had before the Depression. Only the commercial potential of the Castle itself was untapped.

In the 1920s, Death Valley was promoted and developed as a tourist attraction. The popularity of the automobile required building new roads. Much of the land in Death Valley belonged to the U.S. Borax Company. The company lobbied to establish the area as a national monument and began developing plans for a resort. Stephen Mather, the director of the National Park Service, was reluctant to act because he was a former borax executive. In January 1929, Horace Albright replaced Mather and proceeded quickly in proposing boundaries and drafting legislation.

At much the same time, other more minor interests were developing their projects. In May 1926, Herman William Eichbaum opened a 38-mile scenic toll road. The following November, Eichbaum opened his Stove Pipe Wells Hotel. Soon after that, the U.S. Borax Company financed the Furnace Creek Inn. By 1930, the first improved automobile road north through the valley and up towards Death Valley Ranch was nearly complete. Its effects were felt at the castle, as noted by Thompson in letters to Albert Johnson in March 1930.

"The two glaziers drove down the valley this afternoon on the road that Mr. Eichbaum has been grading… The new Valley road makes it possible to run down to Los Angeles in nine hours."

Road promoters often told people about the "Castle" and suggested they see it. Visitors stopped by Death Valley Ranch for a look. The topic of "visitors" was included in most of Thompson’s reports to Johnson.

"Forty to eighty [visitors] nearly every day… "

The number of visitors grew as tourism became more popular. Less than a year after the road opened, Thompson reported to Johnson:

"There are about 100 visitors a day driving through here this weekend because of the double holiday… The two hotels in the Valley are turning dozens of people away each night."

At some point, Johnson must have realized the financial promise of the visitors. By 1934, tours were conducted of the Main House and Annex. By 1936, tour guides were hired, and an admission price was instituted. Bessie administered these tours.

"We are now employing about a dozen young men and women under a resident manager to act as guides and guards… Visitors range from a few a day to as high as 130."

Johnson began selling mementos. Bessie had written a small anthology of stories about Walter Scott in 1932 entitled Death Valley Scotty by Mabel. She prepared a guidebook for the tour. Sketches by M. Roy Thompson were included. In 1941, Johnson had 10,000 guidebooks published and made them available for sale as souvenirs. Afterward, Johnson stated:

"We placed the books on sale the middle of this month… so it looks as though we would sell at least 1/2 of the 10,000 by May 1."

Plans to publish Bessie’s anthology of anecdotes about Scott and her life in the desert never materialized.

Albert Johnson also envisioned the value in postcards and hired photographer Burton Frasher. Frasher stayed at the Ranch taking photographs. Hundreds of photographs were taken, and thousands of postcards were produced and sold. Many of Frasher’s postcards are still printed and available today in the gift shop at Scotty’s Castle.

Though attracting tourists to the Castle was becoming a success, in 1943, his wife Bessie was killed in a car accident. The event occurred when he and Bessie went over a mountain pass some 40 miles south of the Ranch when Albert lost control of the car. His sorrow, combined with Johnson’s health, made it difficult to visit and maintain the property. Gasoline and tires were rationed during World War II, diminishing visitation and income.

In 1946 Johnson established a charity called the Gospel Foundation. In 1947, Johnson inserted a provision in his will that all his land holdings would fall to the Foundation once he died. Johnson transferred several properties to the foundation in his will. Besides the Death Valley Ranch, they would gain control of the Shadelands Ranch and the Hollywood home. Johnson died on January 7, 1948. Johnson’s will called for Walter Scott to be taken care of by the Gospel Foundation and allowed to stay at the ranch until his death. Walter Scott died in 1954 and was buried on the hill overlooking Scotty’s Castle.

The house in Hollywood was used as an office. The acres surrounding the house at Shadelands were sold off. Death Valley Ranch had already been established as a motel and tourist site, and the foundation continued to run it. The shed was renamed the "Rancho," and the Guest House was renamed the "Hacienda." The Gospel Foundation divided the latter into four rooms and rented these out. The suites in the Castle were available for rent.

Despite the success of the tours and lodging, the Foundation wished to divest itself of ownership. In 1970 the Foundation found an interested buyer in its neighbor – the National Park Service. The same year, the Foundation donated Shadelands to the city of Walnut Creek for use as a historic house museum. The National Park Service purchased the Castle and its lands for $850,000. By 1972, Scotty’s Castle was incorporated into Death Valley National Monument. The foundation still awards $400,000 yearly in grants.

Today Albert and Bessie Johnson’s Death Valley Ranch is known as Scotty’s Castle. Located in Death Valley National Park, guests can no longer rent a room, but visitors can still view the house and grounds. There is no charge for viewing the Upper Ranch grounds; however, this is an admission fee to tour the castle.

(Editors note: The National Park Service closed Scotty’s Castle for repairs after a flash flood in 2015 severely damaged the property and a later fire. As of this update, NPS says access to the Castle and Grapevine Canyon areas is prohibited unless part of a ticketed Tour. See their website )

Contact Information:

Death Valley National Park
P.O. Box 579
Death Valley, California 92328
(760) 786-3200