I recently had the opportunity to visit Hearst Castle over the summer. I took a couple of the tours which included several of the rooms, the gardens, the pools and the guest houses. A brief history of the castle was explained on the bus trip to the top of the castle. There is a great deal of historic significance behind the making of Hearst Castle.

What is now referred to as Hearst Castle began over 100 years ago. A wealthy miner acquired the land and it was his son who designed the castle and all of its embellishments. The castle is well known for its history and its impressive collection of art, artifacts and antiquities from around the world.

George Hearst, a self-made millionaire in the mining business acquired the 48,000 acre known as Piedras Blancas Ranch in 1865. George did not receive a formal education but he learned a great deal about the mining business from his father. His knowledge of the mining business brought him great success as he owned interest in three of the largest mining discoveries in America: the Comstock Lode in Nevada, the Ontario silver mine in Utah and the Anaconda copper mine in Montana. His successes enabled him to also acquire the adjoining ranches of Santa Rosa and San Simeon.

The castle had humble beginnings as a camping retreat. George, family and friends would set up tents and camp out. However, things would soon change for Camp Hill as it was then called. In 1919, his only son, William Randolph Hearst inherited the land from his mother, and William desired a more relaxing and comfortable retreat.

William Randolph Hearst not only inherited his fathers riches, but he himself as a millionaire. William was very involved in publishing, politics, Hollywood and the art world. William was a journalism major at Harvard and became the owner of several newspapers and magazines. William also served as congressman of New York.