Western Folk Lore Figure. Walter Scott received notoriety as an icon of the American Wild West as a gold prospector, who roamed on foot for years through the Death Valley with his supplies tied to the back of a mule following behind. As a boy, he left home heading west with a brother to work on a ranch in Nevada. He was a veteran of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, working with the show for twelve years. After settling in Death Valley, he became to be known as “Death Valley Scotty.” According to sources, Scott was somewhat of a swindler as he received financial gain from investors for an interest in a nonexistent Death Valley gold mine. He would tell stories of a lost gold mine and needed money for a “grubstake” for supplies to go prospecting for it. One of his backers was a Chicago millionaire, Albert Mussey Johnson, who built an over $2,000,000 two-story Spanish Revival style home on a 1,500-acre ranch, which was located in the green oasis of Grapevine Canyon in far northern Death Valley. Johnson loved the area and often vacationed there with his wife. After the stock market crash of 1929, construction on the house stopped due to the lack of funding. While it was being built, Scott would tell stories that he built the house with the gold that he found in the lost mine. Scott became a permanent guest in this home. Although he never own it and it was never a castle, the home became to be known as “Scotty's Castle.” At Scott's suggestion for an income, Johnson placed rooms for rent with noted guests such as Betty Grable, Norman Rockwell, and Will Rogers visiting. After Johnson's death, Scott was provided for by the Gospel Foundation of California, a charity that Johnson had founded in the 1940s. Scott died in 1954 and was buried on a hilltop behind this home beside the grave of his dog, Windy. Scott's bronze grave marker with a facial relief is often rubbed for good luck. Today, the house is own by the Death Valley National Park with tours for the public. Scotty's Castle is located on Rt 190 or 123 Scotty's Castle Road, north of the town of Furnace Creek.