Actually built by Bessie and Albert Johnson, Death Valley Ranch became their vacation home. The story of the intertwining of their lives with Scotty, whom they allowed to take all the credit for the "castle," is a fascinating story of the friendship of a con artist and the wealthy Johnsons. The Johnsons willed their home to a not-for-profit foundation which eventually sold it to the National Park Service in 1970.
This bed is in one of the guest rooms (all of the beds had hand-carved headboards) --
This is the gas stove in the kitchen -- it doesn't look too different from current day ones --
This is the gas stove in the kitchen -- it doesn't look too different from current day ones --
And the kitchen sink area. Just look at all of that glorious tile!
This is the formal dining room. It started out as a library, but when Bessie decided she needed a formal dining room, the books were replaced by dishes...
More of the beautiful tile that is throughout the house -- hours and hours of labor to install all of it!
A view of Scotty's Castle from the outside --
The inner courtyard that the house is built around --
National Park Service personnel lead hour-long tours of the building. They dress in period 1930s era clothing -- our tour guide was dressed in the era's Park Ranger uniform. I was surprised that they not only allowed you to take pictures inside, but also to use a flash. There is a tour of the basement which was not available today because of flooding from all of the rain yesterday and last night!
I would have loved to have stayed longer and been able to explore more of the rooms that are not open to the public. As it was, we did not get back to Auntie Violet until after 8 PM -- just in time to watch the Mariners finish their clean sweep of Baltimore!
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