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.