Destination 4:
Scottys' Castle
Part One:
A Walk Around
Scotty was a con man. He was part of Wild Bill Hickock's " Wild Wild West" show that toured the U.S. and Europe, and he got fired. He had a wife and son whom he hardly ever saw.
He tried to sell a Death Valley gold mine to an eastern gentleman of means and his wife, Mr. and Mrs. Johnson. The man soon figured out there was no mine, but settled for having his dream of experiencing the wild west, and his wife wanted her dream of a place of solitude where she could practice her religious devotions.
So they commissioned Scotty to build them a home in Death Valley!
And what a home! It was a huge undertaking, using the finest materials and craftsmen available from hundreds of miles away and moving everything down a twisting canyon with a poor dirt road after it was unloaded at the nearest train depot, which was quite a ways away too.
All was going well, until twin troubles arrived, apparently the Great Depression reduced the man's fortune considerably, and the property the man had purchased wasn't exactly the property the home was built on. So construction stopped for both these reasons, with some large constructions items left undone, like the giant pool complete with observation windows (eventually Scottys' apartments were to be on that lower level with some of the pool windows, but that was never completed either):
By the time the property fiasco was settled and the Johnsons actually owned the property, it was financially too late to restart the building. The guest-rooms of the property were being rented out part time, it became a bed and breakfast for the very well heeled to help make ends meet.
Eventually it was turned over to the National Park Service. And here we are.
A very good question would have been: where was the water going to come from to fill this huge pool? The answer is the same as if the question had been asked: what waters these majestic trees and plants beyond the pool?
There is spring-fed running water coming down part of this canyon, and part of it was being diverted by Scotty's pipeline and machinery to help run the house, make electricity, and water the plants.
To get water pressure, your water source has to be at a higher elevation than the faucets that bring it into the house or yard, so what you do is send a pipeline up the canyon and keep it almost level to feed your water storage tank, as in this photo.
Is the insulation around this tank trying to keep the water warm or cool? In Summer, cool. In Winter? What Winter?
Do you have the idea that now that you have seen the main castle you have seen it all? Not! There is this clock tower you have not seen yet:
And there is also a powerhouse you have not seen yet: the little tower to the left of the clocktower leads to its entrance, the " paved" flat area surrounded by a defensive wall with firing slits is its roof:
The powerhouse was run by falling water, and was improved over time as required by demand:
Now you have seen quite a bit of the outside, and seen what made it light up, so let's go inside on a tour led by a vivacious young lady acting very well the part of an employee of the Johnsons in the 1920s/30s.
Go to Part Two: Entry and Main Sitting Room
Go to Part Three: Small Sitting Room, Kitchen and Dining Room
Go to Part Four: Scottys' Bedroom and the Johnsons' Bedrooms
Go to Part Five: Upstairs Guest Areas and Music Room
Go to Part Six: Scottys' Grave
1. We took a walk on a salt flat just for fun.
2. We took a drive through Titus Canyon just for fun, but I was the only one having any fun.
3. We visited Ubehebe Crater, a 2,000 year old volcano, the most recent one in the region!
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