Finding aid for the Death Valley Scotty photograph album 7146
Bo Doub -- with collection-level notes adapted from the seller, Walkabout Books
USC Libraries Special Collections
2023 May
Doheny Memorial Library 206
3550 Trousdale Parkway
Los Angeles, California 90089-0189
specol@usc.edu
Contributing Institution:
USC Libraries Special Collections
Title: Death Valley Scotty photograph album
Creator:
Frasher, Burton (1888-1955)
Identifier/Call Number: 7146
Physical Description:
0.73 Linear Feet
1 box
Date (inclusive): circa 1930s-1940s
Physical Description: 8" x 10" post-bound leather album with "Frasher's Fotos, Pomona California'" and "Death Valley Scotty" stamped in gilt on
the front cover, containing fifty-five [55] black and white photographs, each measuring 4.75 x 7 inches. The photos are glued
in, and are mounted on both sides of the album leaves, one per page. Nearly all of the photos bear the Frasher's Fotos round
logo; 33 are captioned in the negative. Each photo also has a handwritten inventory number at the margin. Five of the photos
are damaged by chips, tears, or creasing, and a few more have been re-attached to the album with non-archival tape at the
corners or edges. Many images show some surface abrasion from contact with the facing page. There are also several blank pages
where photos have been removed.
Language of Material:
English
.
Container: 1
Walter Scott (1872-1954), better known as Death Valley Scotty, was one of Death Valley's best known and most colorful characters.
He performed as a rough rider with the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show for a dozen years, hanging around the Death Valley area
in the off season, until in 1902, when he decided to become a gold prospector. He convinced several wealthy businessmen that
he had discovered a fabulous gold mine in Death Valley, secured substantial investment funds, and spent those funds liberally
in the hotels and saloons of California and Nevada. After a few years with no tangible results, most of his investors decided
they had been swindled and withdrew their support. But Scotty's most steadfast investor, Chicago insurance magnate Albert
Mussey Johnson, instead came to Death Valley for a personal tour, fell in love with the place, and began a lifelong friendship
with Scott. In 1915, Johnson and his wife, Bessie, bought property in Grapevine Canyon, and in 1922 construction began on
a two-story Spanish Colonial style villa that served as the Johnsons' vacation home, but would become known as Scotty's Castle.
Although he primarily lived in his own cabin nearby, Scott sometimes claimed to have built the Castle himself and regularly
entertained visitors there.
A bound leather album containing fifty five black and white photographs of a location in Death Valley, California, known as
Scotty's Castle. Scotty's Castle was named after Walter Scott (1872-1954), better known as Death Valley Scotty, who was one
of the area's best known and most colorful characters. The album includes both exterior and interior shots of Scotty's Castle
(including shots of Scotty's personal living quarters -- his bed, a wall of his hats, the photographs on his walls); views
of the surrounding landscape; and images of Scotty, Chicago insurance magnate Albert Mussey Johnson and his wife Bessie Johnson
(who owned the residence), and a few unidentified people. Prolific western photographer Burton Frasher (1888-1955), whose
name (Frasher's Fotos) is stamped in gilt on the front cover, visited Death Valley and Scotty's Castle many times in the 1930s
and 1940s and became friendly with Scotty and other locals. One of the unidentified women photographed in the album may be
Burton Frasher's wife, Josephine Frasher.
Advance notice required for access.
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Department of Special
Collections at specol@usc.edu. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical
items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
Rights Statement for Archival Description
Finding aid description and metadata are licensed under an Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased from Walkabout Books, May 10, 2023.
[Box/folder no. or item name], Death Valley Scotty photograph album, Collection no. 7146, Regional History Collection, Special
Collections, USC Libraries, University of Southern California
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Death Valley (Calif. and Nev.) -- Photographs
Death Valley National Park (Calif. and Nev.) -- Archival resources
Dwellings -- Death Valley National Park (Calif. and Nev.) -- Photographs
Photographers -- West (U.S.) -- Archival resources
West (U.S.) -- Description and travel -- Photographs
Photograph albums
Photographs
Frasher, Burton (1888-1955) -- Photographs
Johnson, Albert M., 1872-1948 -- Photographs
Johnson, Bessie M. -- Photographs
Scott, Walter E., 1872-1954 -- Photographs
Scotty's Castle (Calif.) -- Photographs