Blogs we like

Scotty's Castle isn't technically castle size. It is a two-story Spanish villa, but it sprawls to make up for the lack of height. You get a peek of a turret as you round one the many curves on the approaching road hugging the mountains. The idea of castle anywhere enchants me, but in a stark land of sand and bare brown hills, the idea enthralls me.

Why not build a mansion in the middle of absolute desert nowhere? Easy. Because you can. Or in this case, Albert Johnson could. He was a Chicago millionaire, his wealth cobbled from family money, investments in mines, stock markets, and railroads. Always on the cutting edge, he invested in a mysterious Death Valley gold mine found by Walter Scott (aka Death Valley Scotty) in 1904. In a few years, Johnson hadn't earned any money from this new cash cow. Curious, he got on a train to Death Valley to visit his investment.

I'm sure you won't be surprised to find out that there was no gold mine. Scotty even went so far as to stage a desert robbery to scare Johnson and another investor off before they could reach the spot of the supposed mine. That didn't work out so well. Scotty soon realized the gig was up. The investors pulled out angrily. Think of all the lawsuits that would ensue today.

Albert Johnson was still convinced that Scotty had a gold mine though. He returned to Chicago but sent a man back to follow Scotty's every move. Scotty planted fake gold ore. It didn't fool the detective. Despite the blatant dishonesty, he kept making trips to Death Valley. He almost certainly knew there was no gold mine. But, he liked Scotty and he liked Death Valley. Scotty apparently told good stories.

Johnson visited Death Valley so much that his wife wanted to know what the fuss was about. She liked the desert but didn't want to sleep in a tent or any of the small shacks that Johnson constructed on newly purchased property. So in 1922, he started construction on what would become Scotty's Castle. Scotty was happy to tell the world that he was building the mansion with the earnings from his mine. For a long time, the public did think it was the home of the world's richest gold miner - Death Valley Scotty. Scotty did live there for a time after the Johnsons died, but he mostly stayed at his nearby cabin. Fittingly, he is buried above the castle.

I'm ready to move in now, just tell me who I need to swindle.