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Page 6 of 8
Peale's "Mammoth"
Although Big Bone Lick was widely regarded as the most promising site to exhume the complete skeleton of the "Mammoth" (American Mastodon) , this achievement would finally occur in the Hudson River valley. Scattered "Mammoth" fossils had been recovered in the area for nearly a century, most notably the 1705 discovery of the "Giant of Claverack" and the excavations by Robert Annan in 1780.
In 1799, workmen digging in a marl pit on John Masten's farm uncovered a massive femur. A frenzy of digging ensued as neighbors descended upon the site and soon a considerable assemblage of bones laid on the floor of Masten's granary. Interest in these unusual bones soon diminished until the next year when local clergy and physicians -alerted of their importance by the American Philosophical Society's appeal sent news of the discovery to associates New York City and ultimately to Philadelphia and Thomas Jefferson.
Despite being embroiled in the most serious electoral challenge of the new republic,Jefferson sent an emissary to procure the bones. However, Masten and the local townspeople balked.
Charles Willson Peale traveled to Masten's farm in 1801, obstensibly to draw the fossils, but he soon bought the bones on the granary floor and the secured the right to excavate for others. Peale returned to Philadelphia to obtain the support of the American Philosophical Society and Jefferson. Later that year he was back at Masten's farm leading an ambitious excavation, which, unfortunately, yielded little new material. Following leads at other local sites, Peale's team ultimately exhumed a nearly complete second skeleton at Millspaw's Bog.
Triumphant, Peale and his skeletons returned to Philadelphia. He spent the next three months reconstructing the animal under the supervision of Caspar Wistar, the leading anatomist of the country; those bones that were not recovered were substituted with either wood or paper mache. The completed first skeleton generated a sensation in its debut at the American Philosophical Society in late December of 1801 and was a rousing success when it was displayed to the public soon thereafter. "Mammoth" fever swept the country.
Charles Willson Peale's son, Rembrandt, accompanied the second skeleton on a tour of Europe. The stopover exhibition in New York City proved extremely successful, but the reception in London was mixed. While the exhibit was popular with many in London's "polite society", the high admission fee excluded many potential visitors. After an initial success, attendance declined. Moreover, some British naturalists insisted that the skeleton was actually that of an elephant. In an effort to differentiate the "Mammoth" from the elephant and to renew interest in the exhibit, Rembrandt Peale substantially revised the exhibit's pamphlet. The stories of the exhumation and reconstruction were expanded and a detailed description of the bones and teeth was added; these descriptions would later prove vital to scientists working elsewhere in Europe. The pamphlet also revealed Peale's changing interpretation of the animal.
As the exhibit languished in London, Rembrandt Peal hoped that his fortunes would improve when he sailed for Paris. He knew that the renowned French anatomist Georges Cuvier was very interested in the "Mammoth" and he had hoped to sell the skeleton to the National Museum of Natural History. Unfortunately, the British declaration of war against Napoleon precluded the trip to France and prompted the return of Rembrandt Peale and his "Mammoth" to Philadelphia.
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