Elephant discovers America

America’s First Elephant:

The first known elephant brought to America was a 2 year old Asian elephant brought by Captain Jacob Crowninshield from India to New York on April 12, 1796. 
Crowninshield had purchased the elephant and brought it to America for the total cost of $450. 

The elephant was exhibited in New York on April 23, 1796. At that exhibition, a man named Owen offered to buy it for $10,000. From there, it seems the elephant went on tour constantly for many years. It was advertised in a newspaper dated August 1796 as being on the way to Charleston and Baltimore. At that time, it could be seen for 50¢. In November 1796 the elephant was on exhibition in Philadelphia on Market Street for 25 cents. For the next 12 years, he was constantly exhibited throughout the East coast. The last recorded exhibition was in July 1818 in York Pennsylvania.

The elephant was never given a name and was always known as "the elephant" or "he". Although there is an entry in the diary of a reverend that had seen the elephant that the he was a she.