The 1950s saw an explosion of Atomic Age films, often featuring massive monsters in these frightful motion pictures. In pop culture hindsight, 1954’s Godzilla is perhaps the most famous.
This genre of “creature features” was fueled by big bug movies, with irradiated insects infesting fear and attacking horrified humans. Beginning of the End, Tarantula, and Them! are prime examples of these B-movies that quenched thirsty theater-goers during the ‘50s film era. Animatronics, puppeteering and stop-motion were often used for special effect sequences, but some monstrous motion pictures filmed real insects and alive arthropods.
Like something that crawled off the silver screen, there exists a beastly bug in Rock Creek Park, 40 miles north of Royal Gorge: Herkimer. Known as “The World’s Largest Beetle,” Herkimer is a memorable landmark and the mascot of the May Museum, an acclaimed archive of ants, arachnids, beautiful butterflies and a sweeping spectrum of species.
This entomology exhibit is lauded as the world’s largest private insect collection, with a sizable 7,000 stunning specimens assembled by amateur naturalist James Frederick May. From 1903 until his death in 1956, he spent his life traveling the globe and trading with collectors.
“My great grandfather maintained quite a network around the globe,” says Diana Fruh, a fourth-generation manager of the May Museum, and whose son Dylan also works for the exhibit.
“He would write and ask a collector to send a specimen from their local area,” continues Fruh. “Insects would be shipped by mail and arrive in canned meat containers or frequently in film canisters.”
May began amassing his collection of insects and arachnids while recuperating from a severe injury suffered in 1899 during the Second Boer War in South Africa. He was initially rescued by a tribe of Zulu people, a Nguni ethnic group native to the region.
James May’s son, John, showed early business acumen by realizing the profit opportunities in showcasing his father’s entomological collection. Motivated and focused, John started constructing sealed display cases on land he acquired near Colorado Springs, leveraging the state’s dry climate to preserve his father’s extensive assortment effectively.
John May founded the insect institution in 1952, before his father’s passing. At one point, a short-lived, second location was established in Weeki Wachee, Florida, world-famous for its mermaid cosplay shows. At one point, Walt Disney offered to purchase the May Museum and its collection, but the proposition was declined.
“The May Museum is almost like a museum of a museum, because my grandfather built the building and pieced it together with what he could find,” says Fruh. “He was a depression-era person, and being resourceful and resilient, he made it work with whatever he could affordably find. It’s also a family-history piece, with the fourth and fifth generations now operating the museum. My son and his cousins call themselves GEN-FIVE.”
Some of the highlights of the May Museum are the rare birdwing butterflies from near New Guinea, vivid morpho butterflies, a colorful collection of papilio butterflies and… tarantulas.
“Coloradans LOVE their tarantulas! …especially in the fall, with the tarantula run,” Fruh exclaims with emphasis, referring to the annual spider migration into Southern Colorado, a cross-state crawling that occurs during the autumn season.
Fruh encourages visitors to take a photo with the gargantuan Herkimer.
“Take your picture in front of Herkimer, and then go to the museum and get a photo with an actual hercules beetle on display,” says Fruh. “It makes for a great Instagram post.”
Hercules beetles — Dynastes hercules — is a species of rhinoceros beetle, native to rainforests in Central and South America, known for its tremendous size and strength, and reportedly able to lift 850 times its own mass. The imposing insect is named after Hercules, a hero of classical mythology, famed for his impressive strength.
Herkimer is a half-century famous, 48 times larger than an actual Hercules beetle, and a roadside landmark along State Highway 115.
Fruh, a GEN-FOUR, confidently recommends her family’s museum as an informative, educational and unique experience, making it a great field trip expedition for students and future explorers interested in entomology and nature.
The May Museum is open from May 1st to October 1st from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily.
710 Rock Creek Canyon Rd.
Colorado Springs CO 80926
coloradospringsbugmuseum.com
Facebook: @maybugmuseum
Instagram: @may.museum
