Reno-04The Wilbur D. May Museum is a 10,000-sq. ft. ranch-style building designed to resemble his residence. Four rooms are a re-creation of Wilbur's 2600-acre Double Diamond Ranch, named for the brand that was created from stacking his W and M initials. The living room chronicles his life as a businessman, composer, pilot and philanthropist. This room displays old pictures of his flying days when he was considered one of the best navigators flying at the time. This was long before the advance of such navigable delights as satellite guidance and global positioning systems. There are many of his paintings on display as well as a manuscript of one of the songs he composed. The tack room showcases Wilbur's life as a rancher. Reno-C-1 The trophy room provides a glimpse of his big game hunting years of the 1920s, '30s and '40s. This is a unique and exciting room which was typically displayed in many large homes of the twenties. This collection represents the trophy room at the Wilbur May’s Double Diamond Ranch. Most of the animals displayed here and many of the artifacts in the African gallery were collected in 1929 on Wilbur’s first safari. It was a time when the only way that one could see these exotic animals was to visit one at the few large cities that had a natural history museum or zoo. It was common for Wilbur to shoot animals in pairs so that he could make a petting pelt to allow visitors to feel the animal's coat while viewing it. This also was an era when hunting was a popular sport and collecting unusual animals was quite a novelty. Hunters on safari in Africa were welcomed by local peoples because the trophies that they collected provided food for hundreds of people. The museum gallery is a compilation of his more then 40 trips around the world. It holds a treasure of priceless antiques and collectibles. You'll find a very rare Reno-01collection of T'ang Dynasty pottery (618-906 AD). There's a genuine shrunken head from South America as well as primitive African artwork, Eskimo scrimshaws, Egyptian scarabs and Greek icons. The Italian amulets found here pre-date Christ's birth. At one point a branch is seemingly coming out of the wall and a large cat crouches on it appearing to protect its recent kill. Wilber was known as a savvy trader and it was reported that he could talk the loin cloths of the tribal elders.

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