Death Valley, California: Scotty's Castle
Big digs built way out in the middle of nowhere by con man who was swindling a rich doofus.
- Address:
- Scottys Castle Rd, Death Valley, CA
- Directions:
- Out on Rt. 267 near the NV border. Note -- no fuel at the castle, and the nearest gas is 45 miles away.
- Hours:
- Daily 9 am - 5 pm. (Call to verify)
- Phone:
- 760-786-3200
- RA Rates:
- Worth a Detour
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Scotty's Castle "Big digs built way out in the middle of nowhere by con man who was swindling a rich doofus."
That database note of ours ably sums up Scotty's Castle, but we probably need to provide a little more info:
The con man was Death Valley Scotty -- one Walter Scott, who spent years touring the world with Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show, and as a desert surveyor. His mark: rich Chicago businessman Albert Johnson, who believed Scott's claim about a Death Valley gold mine. Johnson came out to the site after giving Scott lots of money with no results, and the desert climate improved his health. Ultimately Johnson financed and built the southwestern/gothic hybrid "castle" in the late 1920s, with Scotty a permanent, colorful fixture.
The castle was sold to the National Park Service in 1970. The rangers dress in 1939 period clothing and conduct 50 minute long living history tours.
[RoadsideAmerica.com Team, 02/03/2008]Nearby Offbeat Places
- Wacky Teakettle Junction Sign, Death Valley National Park, CA - 22 mi.
- Mysterious Moving Rocks, Death Valley National Park, CA - 28 mi.
- Last Supper and Giant Pink Woman, Rhyolite, NV - 30 mi.
- In the region: Manzanar WWII Japanese Internment Camp, Independence, CA - 49 mi.
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