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Help us make Fred whole again!
Fred’s remains were discovered in 1998 entombed in the muck soil of an ancient lake west of Fort Wayne on land owned by Dan Buesching. The bull mastodont stood 9 feet tall at the shoulder and weighed three tons when alive. Scientific sectioning of one tusk revealed Fred to have been 33 years old and a radiocarbon date showed the skeleton to be 11,280 years old!

Now, the Indiana State Museum is preparing to undertake a real-bone mount of Fred, as he will be the centerpiece of an exhibition titled Monsters of the Muck: Indiana’s Elephant Graveyards scheduled to open in the spring of 2013.

But we need your help to put Fred back together! The museum is raising funds to make Fred whole again and have him ready for his debut in 2013. This American mastodont is comprised of 292 bones from tusks to tail and skull to foot. The goal is to sell each and every one of these bones to collect over $125,000 of the $200,000 needed to have Fred mounted. Bones start at $50 and with each bone purchased, donors will receive:
  • A certificate of “Bone Ownership” signed by Ronald L. Richards, Curator of Paleobiology for the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites
  • A special presentation box to display the certificate and a fragment of mastodont tusk or bone*
  • Acknowledgement of your contribution in the exhibition
  • The satisfaction of contributing to the preservation of this iconic symbol of the natural heritage of the state of Indiana for current and all future generations to enjoy
  • All purchases and contributions are tax deductible


Go here to buy a bone!
Available Bones (as of Sept. 12, 2011) Price per bone Bones available / sold
Skull with teeth $20,000

SOLD OUT!
Lower jaw with teeth $10,000 1
Tusks (casts) $5,000

2
Shoulder blades, hips, front legs, rear legs $2,500 13/1
Sacrum, shin bones $1,000 2 shin bones / Sacrum SOLD OUT!
Neck and back vertebrae $500 29 / 1
Larger ribs $500 25 / 5
Smaller ribs, kneecaps, large chest bone $250 1 rib remaining / SOLD OUT!
Throat bones, smaller chest bones, larger tail vertebrae $100 SOLD OUT!
Larger foot bones of front legs (casts) $100 29 / 25
Larger foot bones of rear legs (casts) $100 39 / 13
Smaller tail vertebrae $50 SOLD OUT!
Smaller foot bones (casts) $50 SOLD OUT!

Have you always wanted to own a mastodont but just can't afford the whole thing? Or even parts? Consider our "bone sharing option." Say you want a mastodont tusk but but are not able to fork out $5,000, but have $100 burning a hole in your wallet. With bone sharing, you and 50 others can be joint owners of that tusk! For more information about bone sharing options, contact Charlie Shock at cshock@indianamuseum.org or 317.233.9911.

* Pieces of tusk or bone from the museum’s mastodont dig sites which have no scientific value, are too small to be added to the curatorial collection, and deemed unusable in the recreation of a skeleton.