Doug Higley's

True Wonders Old Time Museum

This was the biggest show I ever did. I built a 5,000 square foot old time dime museum called True Wonders Old Time Museum next to the casinos in Lake Tahoe! It was fabulous and a big room was dedicated to the sideshow 'zibits etc.

I Had my stuff, some Tate, some Frierson and a genuine 9½ foot tall GIANT mummy named Olaf The Giant. A super exhibit that was a perfectly kept Gaff from Nelson Supply made in the late 1800's or early 1900's. It had been exhibited at the Seattle World's Fair too. What a piece. I had it on loan. Anyway I had a letter from Big Foot 'Expert' Professor Grover Krantz DEMANDING it be turned over for study or else! He thought after seeing it, it would prove the locomotion traits of Big Foot. Now Krantz was a certified Professor at Washington State University and while Olaf was a cool realistic exhibit, even I could see the legs and thighs gave it away, too fleshed out for a mummy of that supposed age. The smarter they are the harder they fall.

The Museum also had Antique Toys (a huge collection of Tin Toys...65 Fully Restored Pedal Cars...) There was a Celebrity section with Sammy Davis Jr.’s costumes, Liberace and a big Bing Crosby Collection of all his stuff.  There were actual Movie Stunt Vehicles and a working Robby The Robot movie prop. It was a hell of a thing...but it flopped. Nobody cared. The admission was only $3 too!  Oh well, I'm still trying to recover from that and it was 1993-94. Really hurt.

It was a life long dream and it dumped...so there ya go.

Doug Higley

Discount ticket for the Doug Higley's True Wonders Old Time Museum courtesy of Mark Frierson