Scotty's Castle, Death Valley, CA May 6, 2010

No visit to Death Valley without seeing "Scotty's Castle" which rises from the dust like a desert mirage. The castle takes its name from Walter Scott, better known as "Death Valley Scotty, " an ex cowboy, prospector, and performer in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show,

Our tour guide, a National Park Service ranger, dressed in 1939 period costume, told us about Chicago millionaire Albert Johnson, who had been urged by his doctors to spend time in a warm, dry climate. Mrs. Johnson convinced him to build the mansion in Death Valley, one of the harshest deserts in the world.

Named the Death Valley Ranch, it consisted of two areas divided by a courtyard. The area to the left is the main house and to the right is the guest quarters. Scotty's Castle is on the national register of historic place and is a unique museum.

This entrance is inside the courtyard and goes into the living room area of the main house which is open to the ceiling with a balcony on the second floor overlooking the living room and its two fireplaces.

At the time, Scotty told visitors he financed the building himself from the booty from a secret gold mine in Death Valley. The house is furnished as it was in 1939, but not with just any antiques. Everything you see was actually in the castle in 1939, This is the living or what we would call the great room, complete with a fireplace at each end.

The upstairs music room, a favorite of Mrs, Johnson's, had a player piano that was unique in that it has volume built into it. By opening or closing louvers behind the screened area, the music could vary between loud and soft.

The courtyard looks west at the mountains. Although the castle was built in the desert, flowing just below the surface, at more than 200 gallons per minute, is an ancient natural spring. The ingenious use of this abundant water supply provided electricity, indoor plumbing, and an evaporative cooling system-modern conveniences that made the castle quite comfortable for everyone who came to visit.

Albert Johnson didn't seem to mind that the world thought Scotty owned the castle. Sometimes tours were given and if anyone asked who he was, he would reply, "Scotty's banker".

In Albert's own words, "We have been partners for a long time. Scott has a great appetite for money and I like to feed it. He has always repaid me - in laughs."