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Levering Cartwright Collection on "Death Valley Scotty"
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Held at: Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division [Contact Us]
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
Walter E. Scott, or "Death Valley Scotty," was an eccentric prospector, Wild West show entertainer, and con man. Levering Cartwright was a journalist.
The collection consists of papers of Cartwright (Princeton University Class of 1926) relating to the association of "Death Valley Scotty" (Walter Scott, 1872-1954), an eccentric prospector, Wild West show entertainer, and hoaxer, with his friend and financier, Albert M. Johnson, an insurance company executive. Included are many newspaper clippings about Scott, copies of Best's Insurance News containing Cartwright's article "A Sacrifice to Death Valley," two tapes with transcripts of interviews with William F. Keys, a prospector and friend of Scott, approximately 75 photographs of Scott, Keys, and Scott's home, "Death Valley Castle," postcards from the Death Valley area, and correspondence concerning Cartwright's article.
This collection is arranged in 15 folders in the following order: correspondence, William Keys interviews, photographs, postcards, newspaper clippings, printed matter.
For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.
Finding aid updated by Valerie Addonizio in 2009.
People
Organization
Subject
- Gold miners -- California
- Insurance -- California -- Agents. -- 20th century
- Prospecting -- California
Place
- Publisher
- Manuscripts Division
- Finding Aid Author
- Valerie Addonizio
- Finding Aid Date
- 2008
- Access Restrictions
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The collection is open for research.
Physical access to audio media on magnetic formats is restricted. Special Collections does not have the equipment required for the playback of these materials, nor do policies on preservation allow for these original recordings to be used. Further, obsolete formats would need to be converted at the researcher's expense before any reproduction could be made. Researchers may select materials for conversion and reproduction, but should allow approximately four to six weeks for the process, especially if outdated formats are involved.
- Use Restrictions
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Collection Inventory
Contains 12 folders, of which 3 folders have correspondence (1939-1973, undated); 1 contains transcripts and reel-to-reel tapes of William F. Keys interviews; 2 contain approximately 75 color and black-and-white photographs of Scott, Keys, and Scott's home, "Death Valley Castle," primarily dating from the 1960s; 1 contains a photographic postcard (silver gelatin print) signed by Scotty and others, dated 1908; 1 contains postcards from the Death Valley area; and 4 contain newspaper clippings.
Physical Description1 box
Contains 3 folders of printed matter, including tourist materials from the Death Valley area and issues of Frontier Times, True West, and Best's Insurance News. Additionally, there are copies of Cartwright's three-part article "A Sacrifice to Death Valley", which was published in Best's Insurance News.
Physical Description1 box