The W.M. Keck Museum is a hidden treasure on the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) campus. Located in the Mackay School of Mines Building, it is Nevada’s oldest geology museum and the second oldest museum in Nevada. Exhibits include minerals, ores, and fossils. They also have historical photographs and mining equipment from Nevada mines. The museum is free, as it has been since 1908, and is a great way to spend the day and learn about Nevada’s extensive and varied earth science history.
Museum curator Garrett Barmore maintains the collection and also hosts a weekly series, Mineral Monday, a virtual classroom.
The museum covers three levels, and you could easily spend several hours, or days, looking at all the exhibits.
Ground Floor
The main floor has an amazing array of minerals from around the state and worldwide. Center displays contain ore from each of Nevada’s counties.
Upstairs
The upper level was my favorite, mining history, fossils and bones from a mastodon!
The walls are covered in display cases featuring fossils, tracks of ancient sloths and mastodon bones excavated from Gardnerville—mining relict line one wall, including a lift, scale and ore bucket.
Basement
Mackay Silver Collection
Mackay Silver Collection, the museum star, is in the basement. John Mackay commissioned the 1,250 silver piece service for his wife, Marie-Louise. Tiffany designed the ornate service for twenty-four.
Mackay shipped one-half ton of silver from his mines. Two hundred artisans worked for two years to create the set, which was completed in 1878.
Not wanting anyone to use the design, Mackay purchased the dies.
Stock certificates line the walls and memorabilia fills the drawers.
Getting to the Keck Museum at UNR
Finding the museum is tricky and even more difficult to find parking. Below are the instructions from the museum.
The Keck Museum is located in the Mackay Mines building at the north end of the University quad. The closest parking is a short walk away at the south end of the quad. If using GPS enter Morrill Hall Alumni Center or navigate to the intersection of Center and 9th streets and enter the University. The parking lot is on your right. Parking at this lot is metered. For specific parking and accessibility questions please call the museum at 775-784-4528.
Nevada Museum Madness
Nevada has a vast variety of museums throughout the state. In February I mad a Museum Madness trip, visiting museums from Ordanance, to local history to living ghost towns.
Jaci says
Hello Tami, I never heard of the Keck Museum at UNR, thank you so much for posting. The next time I am in Reno I plan on visiting. Keep up the great work!
Tami says
I’m so glad you learned about a great museum. Go before school starts, parking is terrible!