Arriving at the Museum
Several letters to Rutgers Professor George H. Cook about the mastodon provided more information.
In 1870, Joseph R. Hackett wrote a letter to George H. Cook. Hackett had heard that Cook was interested in purchasing the mastodon skeleton from him, and in his letter, Hackett wrote,
“I received your letter and in it said you would like to secure that skeleton of mine for your state society at New Brunswick, so I wish you to have it, and you can if you will give five hundred dollars for it.”
Hackett writes later in his letter that if Cook pays him that amount, Hackett will give him everything that he has at that moment relating to the “skeleton,” and that if he finds any more bones relating to the mastodon while he is digging the marl beds, Cook could have those bones too. Hackett also talks about potentially selling the bones to “a University in New York State” if they were to offer more for the skeleton than Cook. In that same year, the skeleton was eventually purchased by the state of New Jersey for $300 after inquiries made by George H. Cook.