Playing with Pals in Placerville

Wanting to stroll in the sun, we drove an hour west of Tahoe for a day in Placerville. With a temperature of 20°+ warmer than home, it was the ideal way for four friends to spend time together, elsewhere.

For new readers, in 1848, gold was discovered on the American River near Placerville. The gold rush quickly populated the town, soon known as Dry Diggins, and by 1854 it had the third largest population in the state. As one would expect, a very vigorous economy developed and by the early 1850s the town had a fire department, post office, newspaper, and a Pony Express and Wells Fargo stage office. Notables who arrived included Mark Twain, Levi Strauss, and John Studebaker. Those who resorted to unlawful deeds met their end by hanging. In 1854, Dry Diggins’ name was changed to Old Hangtown, and it became the El Dorado county seat. Subsequently, the name was changed to Placerville, reflecting the city’s gold mining heritage.
Our day started on the patio of Sweetie Pie's for coffees. It is one of the three original wooden homes on this stretch of Main St.
Our history lessons were learned at the Fountain & Tallman Museum, the oldest extant building on Placerville’s Main Street, and the pride of the El Dorado County Historical Society. It is the site of John Fountain & Benjamin Tallman's Soda Works (1852), which provided clean drinking water and refreshments to early pioneers. The museum building style is called rock rubble construction and is a prime example of the first permanent buildings that transitioned Placerville from a mining camp into a proper town. The stone walls of the building are more than 2 feet thick; sufficient to keep ice and soda supplies cool. It is also the perfect start of a stroll through this historic town.
Since I've explored this museum several times, I was most interested in the temporary exhibit, Snowbound. "From pioneer mailman Snowshoe Thompson to Olympian Spider Sabich, discover how El Dorado County’s snowbound past gave rise to a culture of adventure, innovation, and world-class skiing. See rare artifacts, vintage skis, and local legends who helped make the Highway 50 corridor a hub of winter recreation."




This was a fun fact I didn't think I knew. The roots of Heavenly Ski Resort trace back to Bijou Skyway Park, built in 1947 at the bottom of what is now Ski Run Boulevard in South Lake Tahoe. This small community ski hill featured rope tows. In 1955, those same rope tows were moved higher up the mountain when Heavenly Valley officially opened-marking the beginning of a new era for skiing in the Tahoe Basin.

Founded by Chris and Dorothy Kuraisa and their partners George Canon, Philip "Curly" Musso, and Rudy and Trudy Gersick, Heavenly opened on December 15, 1955 with two rope tows, a warming hut, and one of the first double chairlifts in the country. The new resort quickly captured the imagination of skiers eager to experience the sweeping views from Monument Peak and the thrill of Tahoe's powdery slopes.  Seventy years later, the rest, they say, is history.



During our day here, we patronaged The Bookery twice. The building itself has a rich history. It once housed the Blue Bell Cafe and was famous for its Hangtown Fry, a concoction of eggs, oysters and bacon made from a gold rush-era recipe. Earlier, it was where Ben Nickerson arrived in 1849, leading a grizzly bear and a donkey in order to stage fights. Public opinion forced him to look for a new business, so he erected a huge canvas tent gambling hall and did so well that in 1852 he built a two-story building with a piazza. He called it Union Hotel which had 75 sleeping rooms, two parlors and a 10-pin bowling alley. All was lost in one of the fires of 1856.
The Hangman's Tree was a real oak tree used for vigilante hangings during the Gold Rush, giving the town its "Hangtown" nickname. The tree's stump is preserved in the cellar of this building. Who knew?!
I've been wanting to dine at Mel's after seeing American Graffiti on its 50th anniversary. While not the original used in the film, the 50's vibe was groovy indeed. It was a great stop to review all we had seen and experienced on our day in Placerville.
Four old friends: learning, exploring, dining, shopping, and just delighting in one's company. Oh, and warm sunshine. Days don't get much better than this.

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Wilbur D. May Center in Reno, NV

I have had this unique museum on my radar for years and today was the day to make it happen.

Located in Rancho San Rafael Regional Park, The Wilbur D. May Museum is home to the collection of adventurer Wilbur D. May; rancher, pilot, and philanthropist. During a lifetime of travel and exploration, Wilbur May left behind a legacy of learning, which he brought back to his Reno home. Spanning more than 40 trips all around the globe, there is a massive variety of artifacts. I have to preface this post with the caveat that this is definitely not a museum for everyone. It's tagline is, "History it isn't what it used to be!" It showcases artifacts from African musical instruments to an actual shrunken head. The greatest number of items on display are taxidermized animals which range from an aardvark to a zebra. I have been in a number of museums. This was the largest collection, and variety, of hunting trophies I've ever seen. That said, Mr. May is one of the most amazing men I have learned about in a very long time. Who knew?!
"Born on December 28, 1898, in Denver, Colorado, Wilbur was the third son of David May, founder of the May Company Department Stores. Wilbur's older siblings started working in the growing family business, but Wilbur had other plans. By the time he was a teenager, he was both rebellious and more inclined to spend his time outdoors than behind the counter of a store. In 1914, at the age of sixteen, Wilbur ran away from home to join British forces in Europe. World War I had just begun, and Wilbur found that if his age and nationality prevented him from fighting, they did not prevent him from becoming an ambulance driver (Walt Disney did the same thing, by the way). When the United States entered the conflict, Wilbur joined the expeditionary forces and quickly advanced through the ranks to major."

Upon his return to the United States after the war, a more mature Wilbur, moved by his great respect and affection for his parents, decided to try the retail business again. This did not suit the restless Wilbur. And for an adventurous young man, the dramatic development and increasing popularity of flying held great allure. In 1918, Wilbur acquired a Ryan Monoplane equipped with a Wright Whirlwind engine. Nine years later another St. Louis resident, Charles Lindbergh, would complete the first Trans-Atlantic crossing in a similar plane. Wilbur owned four planes during his lifetime and with characteristic zeal became an excellent pilot. Eventually, he traveled to China on the Pan American Airways first Trans-Pacific flight in 1936.
When the United States entered World War II in December 1941, Wilbur was determined to join the Air Force. With more than 6,000 hours of flying time, he had flown more than anyone else in the country, with the exception of mail pilots. However, Wilbur failed the Air Force eye test and was unable to become a combat pilot. The Air Force did assign him a commission as a Captain and authorized him to be a reconnaissance pilot. Until an injury incurred in a crash grounded him, Wilbur served for several years as a reconnaissance pilot in Alaska and was eventually promoted to the rank of Major. After he was grounded, Wilbur requested and received an honorable discharge.

During these years, Wilbur developed another passion, which he pursued throughout his lifetime: big game hunting. His appetite was whetted by a hunting trip to Alaska where he collected his first major trophies; Wilbur became an avid hunter and began to plan his many safaris to Africa and other countries. Beginning in 1923, he spent much of the next two years hunting and traveling to the Amazon River, China, Europe, and the newly-born Soviet Union. His trips inevitably focused on the cultures of the countries he visited; it was during these early trips that Wilbur began to collect small items that he felt were most representative of each country. His collections included recipes, and Wilbur later became a credible chef with an extensive repertoire of international dishes.

This was Wilbur's Trophy Room. "A unique and exciting room featured in many large homes of the 1920s. 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 of the few large cities that had a natural history museum or zoo. 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."





A little more background about that 1929 safari. Wilbur's abiding interest in hunting continued to rule his life, and he began planning what was to be his most extensive trip to date. Only one guide, Sir Denys Finch Hatton, the most famous hunter at that time, had sufficient reputation to satisfy Wilbur. At the time Wilbur planned to travel to Africa in 1927, Sir Denys was engaged by the Prince of Wales. Unwilling to compromise, Wilbur planned his trip for mid-1929 when Sir Denys would be available.
Up until this point, Wilbur was being finance mainly by the May Company and stocks that he owned. Because his African sojourn would keep him out of the country for a year, Wilbur decided to sell all of his securities and purchase Government Bonds prior to his departure. That decision proved to be a fortuitous one, because while Wilbur was gone, the Stock Market crashed. When he returned in 1930, he found that he could buy back the stocks he sold a year earlier at a rate of twenty to one. Quite suddenly independently wealthy, Wilbur was now able to pursue his adventurous dreams with a clear conscience. His good fortune also stimulated an interest in serious investing, an interest which would stand him in good stead in later life. The safari and the financial security fully established Wilbur as a world traveler.
I previously mentioned a Shrunken Human Head. Wilbur's was attained in Ecuador. "The Jivaroans would sever the whole head. The skull was removed and the skin shrunk by boiling or packing it with hot sand and then dehydrating. These heads, called tsantsas, are believed to contain the soul of the dead and are used in elaborate cannibalistic rites."












When the State of California instituted a personal income tax, Wilbur began investigating other places to live. He focused on Reno, Nevada, and set out to give the area a thorough tryout before making it his permanent home. In 1936, he rented a house in Washoe Valley - a property that would become the Flying M E Guest Ranch, a famous Nevada dude-divorce ranch. Two years later he bought a 2,600 acre ranch of his own in southwest Reno. Wilbur had finally found a home and a new business as well. The Double Diamond Ranch, the brand for which was a combination of Wilbur's first and last initials stacked on each other, was soon known for its prize herd of purebred Black Angus cattle. Wilbur also bred Boston Bull Terriers and developed one of the finest kennels in the country.

Every large horse ranch has a working tack room, and the Double Diamond Ranch was no exception. This reproduction of Wilbur May's tack room features the many trophies and ribbons that were earned by Wilbur's championship quarter horses, winning thoroughbreds and purebred Black Angus cattle.


This man was multilayered. As a genuine renaissance man, Wilbur was interested in all of the arts. Not content with collecting art and painting he was intrigued with music. He created many musical scores and music for songs that he wrote. The most well known of his songs, Pass a Piece of Pizza, Please was recorded by Jerry Colonna and released by Capitol Records in December of 1947. Typical of his efforts elsewhere, it became a huge success with record sales exceeding 100,000.
🎵"I don't want salami, or red meat pastrami
But please won't you pass a piece of pizza..."🎵
We ended our extraordinary explore in the current, temporary exhibit, Toytopia.
TOYTOPIA is a celebration and history of toys both vintage and new! It was a place to learn about the history of our favorite toys from the last century and play to our heart's content with an interactive Lego wall, giant dancing piano, oversized Battleship, life-size Barbie Dreamhouse, arcade game classics, and so much more.




One final note: "The decade of the 1960s was one of philanthropy for Wilbur, who preferred to remain an anonymous donor. During this time, he was a principal supporter of the Reno Y.W.C.A. and the Northern Nevada Children's Home, as well as countless other worthy causes. Among other philanthropic works, Wilbur rewarded outstanding children in the Northern Nevada Children's Home with trips during the summer. He split them into three groups, sending one group to Europe, one to Hawai'i, and one throughout the United States. Wilbur usually joined one of the groups.

When Wilbur died on January 20, 1982, he left plans for a museum and arboretum to reflect his deep and long-standing concern for the welfare and education of children. The Wilbur D. May Center is the final tangible evidence of that concern which spanned more than four decades. The Wilbur May Foundation, comprised of family relatives, continue to enhance Wilbur's vision."

This visit was certainly worth the 62-mile drive to Reno. Very, very interesting, indeed. We plan to return when the arboretum is in full bloom. Fun stuff.

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