325:
his visitors and brought them out to a wash in Death Valley where some of Scotty's friends had hidden themselves, disguised as bandits to scare off the investors before they discovered that Scotty's mine was fictitious. In the ensuing mock gunfight, popularly known as "The Battle of
Wingate Pass", Warner was shot and badly injured, prompting Scotty to call the whole thing off in order to go to Warner's assistance. By the time the shooting stopped, most of Scotty's investors realized they'd been fooled and pulled out of Scotty's scheme. Johnson, however, felt that there might still be a chance that Scotty had found gold and decided to pursue the matter further.
353:
124:
300:, to join his father's former business partner, Edward A. Shedd, in taking over some of his father's business interests as well as establishing new ones of his own. Shedd and Johnson jointly purchased the National Life Insurance Company at a foreclosure sale. Through a bargain with Shedd, Albert Johnson acquired 90% of publicly available National Life stock, and quickly became President of the company. Johnson's annual salary as President of National Life Insurance was said to have been approximately $ 1,000,000.
22:
215:. He was the son of Albert Harrison Johnson (1838–1899) and his wife Rebecca A. Jenkins (1842–1915). Johnson's father was an extremely wealthy man who owned several banks, a utility company, and a few stone quarries in the vicinity of Oberlin. He was also President of the Arkansas Midland Railroad Company, which was based in
226:
Although records of Albert M. Johnson's early life are frequently contradictory and uncertain, it is known that he was given a very religious upbringing. It has been asserted numerous times that
Johnson was raised a Quaker, but some sources indicate that due to the close affiliation between Johnson's
328:
After returning home to
Chicago, Johnson hired Alfred MacArthur, who worked as a General Agent of the National Life Insurance Company, to go out to Death Valley and follow Scotty day and night until he discovered whether or not Scotty had a mine. Scotty tried to fool his pursuer by planting gold ore
324:
By 1906, Johnson and Shedd had begun to notice the distinct lack of a return on their investment. Johnson banded together with a few more of Scotty's investors and purchased train tickets out to Death Valley so they could inspect Scotty's findings themselves. Scotty and his brother Warner collected
332:
In spite of this and other independent confirmations that Scotty's mining scheme had no substance to it, Johnson persisted in his belief that Scotty really had found gold in Death Valley. Beginning in 1909, Johnson made many trips out to Death Valley to visit Scotty in the hopes of finally being
320:
his supposed mining operation, and
Johnson and Shedd were no exceptions. For an initial investment of $ 2,500, Scotty offered the pair a two-thirds interest in any mines he discovered in Death Valley. Scotty then offered Obadiah Sands a 20% interest in the mine as a reward for having acted as an
377:
There is also some speculation that
Johnson was also forced to carry a colostomy bag with him for the rest of his life, based on the observations of a few of his friends that Johnson frequently wore clothing that was too baggy for him, possibly to disguise certain side effects of his injuries.
292:
Albert
Johnson made a near-miraculous recovery, regaining his ability to walk within eighteen months, and living for well over forty years past the accident. He never quite returned to full health, however, and walked with a limp for the rest of his life, which he took great pains to disguise.
373:
In spite of his speedy and remarkable recovery from the spinal injury he received in the train accident in 1899, Albert
Johnson continued to feel the effects of his injury for the rest of his life. Although he regained the ability to walk, he suffered from partial paralysis below the waist,
374:
specifically paralysis of the excretory organs. His paralysis was such that
Johnson was forced to catheterize himself multiple times every day to assist in his ability to urinate, and keep meticulous records of his daily fluid intake and output in order to monitor his own health.
360:
Bessie began to accompany Albert, but after a year or two decided that though she also found Death Valley appealing, she was not content to sleep on the ground in a dirty tent or shack. In 1922, to mollify his wife, Albert
Johnson began constructing what was eventually to become
285:, Albert Johnson and his father were victims of a terrible train accident. The Johnsons' train was struck from the rear by another train, and Albert Johnson's father was killed as he slept. Albert Johnson himself suffered from a broken back, for which he was given an initial
333:
shown the gold mine he had been promised. Although it is almost certain that
Johnson realized after a few years that the gold mine did not exist after all, he continued his trips to visit Scotty, as he had learned to enjoy Death Valley as well as Scotty's company.
365:. In 1927 Johnson purchased more land in Grapevine Canyon from Fred M. Sayre and his wife Vida L. Sayre, and also from Beveridge Hunter and his wife Ruth, bringing the total size of his Death Valley Ranch to approximately 1,500 acres (610 ha).
511:
329:
in an exhausted mine shaft, but MacArthur was not convinced. MacArthur sent a telegram to Albert Johnson to inform him of Scotty's dishonesty, and thus exploded the myth of a gold mine.
349:
used for camping. After Albert Johnson spent several winters of desert vacations with Scotty, Bessie began to grow curious about Death Valley and its attraction her husband had for it.
281:
to inspect more mining claims for possible further investment. The trip was ill-fated, however, and in December, 1899, while riding on a train on the Denver and Rio Grande line near
506:
521:
277:, which turned out to be an extremely profitable investment. Flush with cash and success, Johnson prevailed upon his father to travel with him out to the
345:
from a man named Jacob Steininger, and in 1916 began building the first of many structures he constructed on the property, a small shack that he and
356:
Albert Johnson is flanked by his wife Bessie (left) and a nurse, who hold the crutches he required during his recovery from the train accident.
183:(May 31, 1872 – January 7, 1948), was a millionaire who served for many years as president of the National Life Insurance Company, built
39:
414:
352:
167:
145:
105:
86:
58:
526:
65:
43:
483:
Historic Resource Study: Death Valley Scotty Historic District, Draft Version, Scotty's Castle Resource Library, NPS: DEVA.
72:
409:. Johnson was the benefactor of Walter E. Scott, played by Jack Lomas (1911-1959). In 1905, Scott commissioned the "
342:
188:
312:, also known as Death Valley Scotty, a man notorious for his story of having discovered a mysterious gold mine in
273:
Not long after his marriage to Bessie, Johnson borrowed $ 40,000 from his father to invest in a lead-zinc mine in
54:
308:
Albert Johnson and Edward Shedd were approached in 1904 by Obadiah Sands, who was acting as an intermediary for
267:
138:
132:
450:
417:. The steam locomotive Santa Fe No. 1010 was used to re-create the record-setting 44-hour railroad run from
32:
394:
149:
516:
501:
496:
79:
255:
362:
262:. While a student in the civil engineering program at Cornell, Albert met and fell in love with
184:
401:
390:
297:
278:
244:
192:
397:
282:
263:
259:
216:
406:
346:
309:
247:. Either way, however, Johnson lived a devout lifestyle and was a lifelong non-smoker and
236:
196:
266:, a fellow student at Cornell, and the daughter of a wealthy fruit and nut rancher from
442:
490:
410:
321:
intermediary. Johnson and Shedd split their two-thirds interest evenly between them.
228:
208:
313:
240:
232:
270:. Albert Johnson graduated from Cornell in 1895, and a year later married Bessie.
418:
21:
317:
289:
of certain and imminent death, as well as lifelong paralysis below the waist.
248:
286:
477:
Bessie Johnson vertical file, Scotty's Castle Resource Library, NPS: DEVA.
474:
Albert Johnson vertical file, Scotty's Castle Resource Library, NPS: DEVA.
480:
Dubovay, Charles. Interview, Scotty's Castle Resource Library, NPS: DEVA.
274:
220:
422:
341:
In 1915, Johnson purchased a ranch at Grapevine Canyon in what is now
254:
Johnson attended Oberlin College for one year before transferring to
387:
351:
212:
117:
15:
199:, for whose outrageous antics he later served as financier.
191:, and was variously partner, friend, and dupe of infamous
393:in the 1955 episode, "Death Valley Scotty," on the
316:. Scotty was often soliciting wealthy investors to
207:Albert Johnson was born into a prominent family in
46:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
512:Cornell University College of Engineering alumni
425:. It was especially reconditioned for filming.
296:In 1902, after his recovery, Johnson moved to
8:
239:it is far more likely Johnson's family was
168:Learn how and when to remove this message
106:Learn how and when to remove this message
131:This article includes a list of general
434:
415:Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
7:
507:American businesspeople in insurance
44:adding citations to reliable sources
522:People from Inyo County, California
137:it lacks sufficient corresponding
14:
122:
20:
304:Johnson and Death Valley Scotty
31:needs additional citations for
1:
413:," a passenger train of the
543:
343:Death Valley National Park
386:Johnson was portrayed by
443:"Death Valley Scotty on
268:Walnut Creek, California
235:minister and founder of
451:Internet Movie Database
152:more precise citations.
55:"Albert Mussey Johnson"
527:Oberlin College alumni
368:
357:
395:syndicated television
355:
181:Albert Mussey Johnson
382:Television depiction
40:improve this article
347:Death Valley Scotty
197:Death Valley Scotty
358:
256:Cornell University
445:Death Valley Days
402:Death Valley Days
391:William Schallert
298:Chicago, Illinois
245:Congregationalist
227:grandparents and
178:
177:
170:
116:
115:
108:
90:
534:
462:
461:
459:
457:
439:
398:anthology series
369:Johnson's health
283:Salida, Colorado
260:Ithaca, New York
173:
166:
162:
159:
153:
148:this article by
139:inline citations
126:
125:
118:
111:
104:
100:
97:
91:
89:
48:
24:
16:
542:
541:
537:
536:
535:
533:
532:
531:
487:
486:
471:
466:
465:
455:
453:
441:
440:
436:
431:
407:Stanley Andrews
384:
371:
363:Scotty's Castle
339:
310:Walter E. Scott
306:
264:Bessie Penniman
237:Oberlin College
205:
185:Scotty's Castle
174:
163:
157:
154:
144:Please help to
143:
127:
123:
112:
101:
95:
92:
49:
47:
37:
25:
12:
11:
5:
540:
538:
530:
529:
524:
519:
514:
509:
504:
499:
489:
488:
485:
484:
481:
478:
475:
470:
467:
464:
463:
433:
432:
430:
427:
383:
380:
370:
367:
338:
335:
305:
302:
204:
201:
176:
175:
130:
128:
121:
114:
113:
28:
26:
19:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
539:
528:
525:
523:
520:
518:
515:
513:
510:
508:
505:
503:
500:
498:
495:
494:
492:
482:
479:
476:
473:
472:
468:
452:
448:
446:
438:
435:
428:
426:
424:
420:
416:
412:
411:Scott Special
408:
404:
403:
399:
396:
392:
389:
381:
379:
375:
366:
364:
354:
350:
348:
344:
336:
334:
330:
326:
322:
319:
315:
311:
303:
301:
299:
294:
290:
288:
284:
280:
276:
271:
269:
265:
261:
257:
252:
250:
246:
242:
238:
234:
230:
229:John Shipherd
224:
222:
218:
214:
210:
202:
200:
198:
194:
190:
186:
182:
172:
169:
161:
151:
147:
141:
140:
134:
129:
120:
119:
110:
107:
99:
88:
85:
81:
78:
74:
71:
67:
64:
60:
57: –
56:
52:
51:Find sources:
45:
41:
35:
34:
29:This article
27:
23:
18:
17:
517:Death Valley
456:December 28,
454:. Retrieved
444:
437:
405:, hosted by
400:
385:
376:
372:
359:
340:
331:
327:
323:
314:Death Valley
307:
295:
291:
272:
253:
241:Presbyterian
233:Presbyterian
225:
206:
189:Death Valley
180:
179:
164:
155:
136:
102:
93:
83:
76:
69:
62:
50:
38:Please help
33:verification
30:
502:1948 deaths
497:1872 births
419:Los Angeles
337:Later years
203:Early years
150:introducing
491:Categories
429:References
249:teetotaler
158:March 2013
133:references
96:March 2013
66:newspapers
318:grubstake
287:prognosis
279:Wild West
193:Wild West
275:Missouri
221:Arkansas
195:con man
469:Sources
423:Chicago
209:Oberlin
146:improve
80:scholar
217:Helena
135:, but
82:
75:
68:
61:
53:
388:actor
87:JSTOR
73:books
458:2018
213:Ohio
59:news
421:to
258:in
243:or
187:in
42:by
493::
449:.
251:.
231:,
223:.
219:,
211:,
460:.
447:"
171:)
165:(
160:)
156:(
142:.
109:)
103:(
98:)
94:(
84:·
77:·
70:·
63:·
36:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
