One of the most famous California conman was one Walter E. Scott, better known as Death Valley Scotty. During his multi-level career, Scott worked as a surveyor, a stunt rider in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show, a fencer of stolen high-grade ore, holder of a cross-country speed record for train travel, an actor appearing in a play about himself, and a prospector, who duped more that one wealthy millionaire.
Scotty convinced one of Chicago’s millionaires to invest in a gold mine; a mine that of course had no gold. The millionaire was persuaded to come out West and Scotty showed him around Death Valley, but never once took him near any gold mine. The millionaire really enjoyed the trip, breathing clean air, exercising and laughing at Scotty’s many jokes, so he forgave Scotty for his scheming ways and they became great friends. On a later trip the millionaire brought his wife along. She took to Scotty right off and eventually gave him all the credit for her husband’s improved health. As a result, she encouraged her husband to build a vacation home in Death Valley, one that Scotty could also use. So in 1927, the millionaire began construction on a million dollar Spanish style mansion. Work continued off and on for the next four years. It wasn’t a castle and it didn’t belong to Scotty, but that didn’t stop it from becoming known as Scotty’s Castle, even though the sign at the mansion’s entrance read “Death Valley Ranch.” Of course Scotty proclaimed that he had financed and built the castle for himself and the millionaire allowed him to get away with the lie. Actually, Scotty rarely stayed in the mansion; he preferred a bungalow down the road a ways, but he showed up frequently at the millionaire’s dinner parties and regaled the guests with tall tells about his life and about his prosperous phony bologna gold mine. The millionaire just shrugged his shoulders and regarded it all as harmless fun. Along about 1935, the millionaire ran into financial problems when his company went into bankruptcy. He had to cut his losses, so he willed the mansion to a religious organization, but with the stipulation that Scotty could spend the rest of his days living there. And Scotty did just that. Up until his death in 1954, he was in residence entertaining paying guests. He is buried with his dog Windy on a hill overlooking “his” castle.Note: The second picture shows part of the enormous swimming pool. Those three windows are underwater viewing ports.
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