Scotty's Castle
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Scotty's Castle is a two-story Spanish Villa located in northern Death Valley National Park, California, USA. It is also known as Death Valley Ranch. Scotty's Castle is not a real castle, and it did not belong to the "Scotty" it got its name from.
History
Construction began on Scotty's Castle in 1922, and between $1.5 and $2.5 million dollars was spent building it. A man named Walter Scott born in Cynthiana, Kentucky, also known as “Death Valley Scotty”, was able to convince Chicago millionaire Albert Johnson to invest in his gold mine in the Death Valley area. By 1937 Johnson had acquired more than 1,500 acres in Grapevine Canyon, where the ranch is located.After Johnson and his wife made several trips to the region, and his health improved, the building was started. It was Mrs. Johnson's idea to build something comfortable for their vacations in the area, and the villa ended up becoming a winter home. The stock market crash of 1929 made it difficult for Johnson to finish construction. When the Johnsons died, they left the property to the Gospel Foundation, since they had no heirs. The National Park Service purchased the villa for $850,000 from the foundation in 1970. Walter Scott died in 1954 and was buried on the hill overlooking Scotty's Castle.
Tours
The Park service gives guided tours of Scotty's Castle today. Park rangers dress in 1930s style clothes to help take the visitor back in time, and treat guests to the sounds of a 1,121 pipe Welte theater organ. An underground mystery tour is also available for those wishing to see the inner-workings of the building. One-quarter of a mile of tunnels run under the building, where visitors can visit the powerhouse and see thousands of tiles that were to be used for the never-finished swimming pool. The main house tour is ADA accessible, but the underground tour is not.Water and electricity
The springs of Grapevine Canyon provided the water supply for the ranch, and were used to generate electricity. The springs were located at an elevation about 300 feet higher than the villa, and there was enough water flow and pressure to turn a Pelton wheel, which would run a generator to generate the villas electricity. The springs provided enough water to meet all the needs of the ranch, with enough left over for other uses. A water fountain was constructed in the Great Hall, where water dripped down a rock face into a catch basin, so it could be recirculated.Additional info
The Scotty's Castle Visitor Center and Museum are currently open year-round, and approximately 100,000 people tour the villa each year. The original furnishings and clothing that the Johnsons used can still be seen today. The ranch is located about 45 miles north of Stovepipe Wells, California, on Highway 267, and is about a three-hours drive from Las Vegas, Nevada.See also
Death Valley National ParkReferences
- desertusa.com
- gorp.away.com
- National Park Service
- outwestnewspaper.com
External links
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