{"id":554,"date":"2026-02-23T01:31:24","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T01:31:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/?page_id=554"},"modified":"2026-04-24T19:46:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T19:46:08","slug":"arriving-at-the-museum","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/arriving-at-the-museum\/","title":{"rendered":"Arriving at the Museum"},"content":{"rendered":"

Several letters to Rutgers Professor George H. Cook about the mastodon provided more information.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
A Letter from Joseph R. Hackett to George H. Cook on Cook\u2019s Offer to Purchase Hackett\u2019s Mastodon Skeleton, February 1870.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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,<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\u201cI 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.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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 \u201cskeleton,\u201d 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 \u201ca University in New York State\u201d 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

Follow this link to read the rest of the letter<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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 … Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2208,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-554","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nArriving at the Museum - Manny the Mastodon<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Several letters to Rutgers Professor George H. Cook about the mastodon provided more information.A Letter from Joseph R. Hackett to George H. 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