![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.moviepropcollectors.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/JonesEbay1.jpg\" "\\"JonesEbay1\\"")
<\/a>The University of Chicago Admissions Department<\/em><\/strong> has posted the following on their Tumblr<\/em> account. A plea for help in solving a real life mystery surrounding a package containing a journal addressed to a \u201cHenry Walton Jones, Jr<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
I<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/span>ndiana Jones Mystery Package<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n We don\u2019t really even know how to start this post. Yesterday we received a package addressed to \u201cHenry Walton Jones, Jr.\u201d. We sort-of shrugged it off and put it in our bin of mail for student workers to sort and deliver to the right faculty member\u2014 we get the wrong mail a lot.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Little did we know what we were looking at. When our student mail worker snapped out of his finals-tired haze and realized who Dr. Jones was, we were sort of in luck: this package wasn\u2019t meant for a random professor in the Stat department. It is addressed to \u201cIndiana\u201d Jones<\/span><\/a>.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n What we know<\/strong>: The package contained an incredibly detailed replica of \u201cUniversity of Chicago Professor\u201d Abner Ravenwood\u2019s<\/span><\/a> journal from Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. It looks only sort of like this one<\/span><\/a>, but\u00a0almost exactly like this one<\/span><\/a>, so much so that we thought it might have been the one that was for sale on Ebay had we not seen some telling inconsistencies in cover color and \u201cEx Libris\u201d page (and distinct lack of sword). The book itself is a bit dusty, and the cover is teal fabric with a red velvet spine, with weathered inserts and many postcards\/pictures of Marion Ravenwood (and some cool old replica money) included. It\u2019s clear that it is mostly, but not completely handmade, as although the included paper is weathered all of the \u201chandwriting\u201d and calligraphy lacks the telltale pressure marks of actual handwriting.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n What we don\u2019t know<\/strong>: Why this came to us. The package does not actually have real stamps on it\u2014 the outside of the package was crinkly and dirty as if it came through the mail, but the stamps themselves are pasted on and look like they have been photocopied. There is no US postage on the package, but we did receive it in a bin of mail, and it is addressed to the physical address of our building, Rosenwald Hall, which has a distinctly different address from any other buildings where it might be appropriate to send it (Haskell Hall or the Oriental Institute Museum). However, although now home to the Econ department and College Admissions, Rosenwald Hall used to be the home to our departments of geology and geography<\/span><\/a>.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n If you\u2019re an applicant and sent this to us: Why? How? Did you make it? Why so awesome? If you\u2019re a member of the University community and this belongs to you or you\u2019ve gotten one like it before, PLEASE tell us how you acquired it, and whether or not yours came with a description\u2014 or if we\u2019re making a big deal out of the fact that you accidentally slipped a gift for a friend in to the inter-university mail system. If you are an Indiana Jones enthusiast and have any idea who may have sent this to us or who made it, let us know that, too.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n We know this sounds like a joke\/hoax\u2026 it\u2019s not (at least, from our end). <\/strong>\u00a0Any hints, ideas, thoughts, or explanations are appreciated. We\u2019ve been completely baffled as to why this was sent to us, in mostly a good way, but it\u2019s clear this is a neat thing that either belongs somewhere else\u2014 or belongs in the halls of UChicago admissions history.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Internet: help us out. If you\u2019re on Reddit (we\u2019re not) or any other nerdly social media sites where we might get information about this, feel free to post far and wide and e-mail any answers, clues, ideas, thoughts, or musings to indianajonesjournal@uchicago.edu<\/span><\/a>\u00a0 (yes, we did set up an email account just to deal with this thing).<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n **Update<\/strong>: we have solved our mystery! You can learn the solution here:\u00a0http:\/\/tinyurl.com\/jonesjournal<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Thanks to all who emailed in ideas or suggestions.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n A <\/span>few photos from the original Ebay sale:<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Photos & content\u00a9University of Chicago, Movie Prop Collectors, Paul\/ravenbar from Ebay, and their respective owners.<\/small><\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/p>\n