Walter E. Scott
| Death Valley Scotty | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Walter E. Scott September 20, 1872 Cynthiana, Kentucky |
| Died | January 5, 1954 (aged 81) Death Valley, California |
| Resting place | Scotty's Castle grounds, Death Valley National Park |
| Residence | Lower Vine Ranch, Death Valley |
| Known for | Fraudulent mining schemes, affiliation with Scotty's Castle, affiliation with Buffalo Bill. |
| Spouse(s) | Ella Josephine Milius Scott a.k.a. "Jack" |
| Children | Walter Perry Scott |
Walter Edward Perry Scott (September 20, 1872 – January 5, 1954), also known as Death Valley Scotty, was a prospector, performer, and con man who was made famous by his many scams involving gold mining and the iconic mansion in Death Valley popularly known as Scotty's Castle.
Scott was born in Cynthiana, Kentucky to George E. Scott (or George A. Scott according to his IGI record) and his wife, Anna (Calhoun) Scott (or Elizabeth Perry according to his IGI record). He spent the early years of his childhood traveling with his family around the harness racing circuit, and at age 11 he left home to join his two brothers at a ranch near Wells, Nevada. In 1884, he made his first visit to Death Valley, as part of a crew surveying the California-Nevada border. At age 16, he joined Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show as a stunt rider. For the next 12 years, he toured the United States and Europe with the show.
Scott's involvement with the show ended when he married Ella Josephine Milius (whom he called Jack) in New York City in 1900. They then moved to Cripple Creek, Colorado, where Scott unsuccessfully tried to start a gold mining operation. After he was not allowed to rejoin the Wild West Show, he conned a wealthy New York businessman into backing a fictitious gold mining operation. For two years, he continuously informed his patron about the state of the mine, but he never shipped any ore. After his patron had invested more than $5000 in the mine, Scott boarded a train bound for New York with a bag supposedly containing more than $12,000 in gold dust. After he claimed that the bag had been stolen before he reached his destination, the newspapers eagerly picked up the story, starting Scott on a spree of self-promotion ventures. In 1904, he abandoned his previous patron in favor of Edward A. Shedd and Albert M. Johnson. They poured more than $4000 into his scam over a period of several months, before pulling out of the deal.
...
Wikipedia