For December, the “Artifact of the Month” at the Western Illinois Museum is a stuffed albino muskrat. This albino muskrat first belonged to a young man named Ray Shannon of Marietta. You never forget your first albino muskrat, and even after 40 years have passed, Ray Shannon remembers his albino muskrat like it was yesterday. Like most unique items, the albino muskrat at the museum has its own special story that adds to its uniqueness. Ray Shannon remembers, “It was 1968, and I was working at Perardi Fur and Wool in Farmington, I was a senior in high school. And one day a trapper came in with three albino muskrats. I knew right away I wanted one, because I knew they were rare, and so I asked if I could buy one and I took it home.”
Shannon took his very special muskrat over to an area taxidermist by the name of Oren McGinnis, with plans to have the animal mounted. However, certain events got in the way for Shannon and his muskrat. Before he knew it, Shannon had been drafted and was on his way to Vietnam. The little white muskrat was left behind at the taxidermy shop.
Luckily, Shannon returned from Vietnam after his tour of duty, however, he thought his muskrat was long gone. Then, out of the blue, in 1972, he got a phone call from McGinnis, the taxidermist. Shannon recalls, “Oren was on the phone and he says, do you still want me to stuff your albino muskrat or what?” It turns out McGinnis had carefully kept the muskrat packed away in a freezer the whole time Shannon was in Vietnam. The taxidermist and the muskrat had been hopefully awaiting the soldier’s return from war. Of course, Shannon said yes, he wanted his muskrat stuffed, so McGinnis did what taxidermists do and the creature was forever preserved and mounted. When Shannon got his muskrat home, he put it on his mantel in a place of honor. And so it seems that would be the end of the muskrat’s story, but it is not. About seven years later, around 1979 or so, Shannon got a phone call from his good friend, Ed Whittier of Bushnell. Whittier owned a well-known fur and trap business in Bushnell. Whittier bought furs from trappers in the region and then sold the furs to wholesalers. Shannon not only worked in the fur industry, but was also a trapper, and was friends with Whittier and had sold furs to him. Whittier knew about Shannon’s rare albino muskrat. Whittier phoned Shannon because he was planning to donate his extensive trapping collection to the museum. Whittier asked Shannon if he would be willing to donate his muskrat and include it with his donation of his own trapping items. Whittier realized the specialness of the creature, and thought it would be a good thing for it to be in a protected place like a museum. Shannon also realized that a museum was the proper location to house this distinctive preserved animal. The museum would be a place where others could see it, so Shannon agreed to Whittier’s’ proposal and gave the albino muskrat to Whittier. In turn, Whittier donated his trapping collection, muskrat included, to the museum, which at that time was housed at Western Illinois University. So, for the last thirty years or so, the albino muskrat has been part of the museum’s collection. It is strange to think, that from one day when a young man spied this special white creature, to a long time frozen in storage saved for a soldier sent far away, to being donated and becoming part of a museum’s collection – this little albino muskrat has had an eventful life after death. Now, safely protected and preserved, the muskrat adds another chapter to its life story, as it lives on, to serve an educational purpose for future
generations.
The albino muskrat stands approx. ten inches tall on a wooden base twelve inches long and approx. six inches wide. Mounted standing up, the muskrat rests on its rear haunches, its forepaws reaching out to a tree trunk about eight and ½ inches tall. This mounting shows a very typical muskrat stance. The muskrat has a habit of standing upright on shore, using its tail as a third leg, like a tripod. When they walk their long tail drags on the ground making their trail easy to follow.
Muskrats are a semi-aquatic rodent; they are great swimmers, living near rivers, lakes and ponds. They live in burrows along the water’s edge. Sometimes they build lodges, similar to beavers. Muskrats usually have glossy, brown fur. The fur has two layers; this denseness protects them from cold water and makes the fur warm. In the early 20th century, muskrat fur was an important part of
the fur industry. Muskrat fur was trimmed, dyed, and sold under the name, “Hudson seal�
fur. Albinism is the condition that causes a creature to become an albino; recessive genes inherited from both the animal’s parents cause it. Almost any type of animal can display albinism, from a rodent like a muskrat, to snakes, fish, and even cockroaches. It is caused because there is complete or partial absence of pigment in the skin, fur and eyes due to the absence of an enzyme involved in the production of melanin. The eyes of an albino animal look red because the color of the red blood cells in the underlying blood vessels in the retina show through where there is no pigment to conceal it. Researchers have determined that albinism occurs once out of every 10,000 mammal births. So, albinos are uncommon, but not extremely rare. In the wild, an albino animal is often at a great disadvantage; they lack protective camouflage and cannot conceal themselves from predators. Albinos stand out from their surroundings and are easy prey. For this reason, albino animals often do not live very long.
The muskrat on display met its fate at the end of the trap line, but luckily, for museum visitors, the muskrat now resides at the museum where it can be seen and appreciated. Please come and visit the albino muskrat, it will be on display December 1 – December 31. The museum will be closed for the Thanksgiving holiday, Nov. 25-27. The special exhibition, “New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music”, a traveling Smithsonian exhibit will be on display until Dec. 4th. The museum will have special extended hours on Friday, Dec. 3rd from 10am until 8pm, so that everyone can enjoy this exhibition during the “Dickens on the Square” holiday celebration happening at locations around Courthouse Square throughout that evening. There will be “Music by Stephen Lane and friends”. On Sat. Dec. 4, 10:30-11:30am, there will be music by Iron Orchard, an Americana/Roots Rock band hailing from the land between the Illinois and Mississippi rivers. The museum is located at 201 S. Lafayette St and is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Admission to the museum is always free, donations are appreciated. For more information about what is happening at the Western Illinois Museum, check out the museum’s page on Facebook, explore the museum’s website at www.westernillinioismuseum.org or call 309.837.2750.