Snow Museum of Natural History Records, 1917-1962

Oakland California's Snow Museum of Natural History opened in 1922. Specimens collected by big game hunters Henry A. Snow and Leslie Simson on a city-funded African safari in 1919 formed the majority of the collection. Henry Snow was the museum's first director, followed by his daughter, Nydine E. Snow, after his death in 1927. In its early years (1922-1926) the museum also featured some live animals which were cared for by Henry Snow's son Sidney Snow. This small zoo formed the roots of the Oakland Zoo with Sidney Snow serving as its first director. The Snow Museum closed in 1967 and many of its natural history exhibits were folded into the newly created Oakland Museum of California which brought three city-funded museums, including the Snow Museum, under one roof.