Big Bone Lick

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ReserveAmerica is the largest provider of campsite reservations in North America, facilitating over 4 million transactions per year.  You can now reserve your campground site at Big Bone Lick State Park on ReserveAmerica.com.

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The Voss family enjoyed a trip to Big Bone Lick State Park in June.  Here is an excerpt of their visit:

Our first stop was at the trailside museum where they had life-size replicas of Wooly Mammoths, Mastodons, etc.  There were several geocaches and letterboxes in the park.  We hiked about 6 miles when all was said and done.

Big Bone Lick State Park has a herd of buffalo, which is part of the reason we decided to visit.  We were fortunate enough to be able to see several baby buffalo while we were there.  Too cute!

After a picnic lunch, we decided to venture up to the Coralberry Trail, which is a 2-mile hike around a small hilltop lake.  It really is beautiful there and so peaceful.

Stomp in Big Bone Creek with park naturalist Todd Young to stay cool while learning about nature.  This Creek Stomping event is on Saturday July 3, 2010 from 12:00 pm -  2:30 pm. 

Caution: You will get wet, extremely wet.  Parents must accompany children, and registration is required.  Not recommended for young children.  Weather permitting.  To register and get more information about what to bring, please contact Todd Young at todd.young@ky.gov.

The Boone County Public Library is hosting a traveling exhibition about the famous explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark.  The pair is best known for their cross-country expedition to the Pacific Ocean.  However, the explorers also visited Big Bone Lick in separate trips.

The exhibition titled “Lewis and Clark and the Indian Country” runs from July 1 through August 13, 2010.  It’s held at the Main Library at 1786 Burlington Pike, Burlington, KY.  The exhibit tells the story of Lewis & Clark’s 1804-1806 journey from the point of view of the Native Americans who lived along the route.

The exhibit has many special programs scheduled throughout July including a talk about Lewis and Clark visiting Big Bone Lick.  Stanley Hedeen, author of "Big Bone Lick: Cradle of American Paleontology," hosts the program at 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 28, at the Main Library.

In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson asked Lewis to stop at Big Bone Lick to collect bones and send them back to Jefferson before meeting up with Clark in Louisville.  Unfortunately the bones were lost when the boats carrying them sank at Natchez, Mississippi.

Undeterred, Jefferson sent Clark to Big Bone Lick in 1807 to retrieve another set of bones.  In 1808, Jefferson finally received his long-awaited shipment and arranged 300 big bones on the floor in a room at the White House.  (source)

More Information

In 1807, Thomas Jefferson sent General George Rogers Clark to Big Bone Lick, Kentucky, to collect fossils.  The site of an ancient salt lick, Big Bone Lick had once attracted Pleistocene-era mammoths, giant ground sloths and giant bison, which had died near the salt lick when they became trapped in the surrounding bogs, leaving a rich heritage of fossils.

In his letter shown below, Jefferson requests that General Rogers have the bones that Rogers had collected packed and shipped to a New Orleans collector, who would then forward them to Washington D.C.  (Source: Wikipedia)

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Big Bone Lick State Park in Boone County, Kentucky is recognized again as one of “America’s Top 100 Parks” by ReserveAmerica.  The park was selected from more than 3,000 evaluations by park professionals and campers across North America.  The criteria included scenic views, historical importance, hiking trails, kid-friendly atmosphere, children’s activities and more. 

ReserveAmerica is the largest provider of campsite reservations in North America facilitating more than 4 million transactions per year and manages reservations for Kentucky State Park campgrounds.

State Parks Commissioner Gerry van der Meer said the ReserveAmerica recognition speaks highly of Kentucky State Parks as a whole. “That Kentucky State Parks repeatedly earns the confidence and gratitude of users and parks professionals says a lot about the quality we offer.  Not only are five parks out of thousands of campgrounds in the top 100, some parks rank in multiple categories,” he said.  “These awards reinforce how valuable our parks are for the state’s economic development, preserving Kentucky’s natural resources and providing quality recreation and camping opportunities that attract people from all over the nation.”

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WFPL News 89.3 FM radio interviews Stanley Hedeen, author of the book Big Bone Lick: The Cradle of American Paleontology.  Hedeen discusses what was once considered North America’s greatest paleontological treasure, capturing the attention of George Washington, Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson.

Stanley Hedeen is professor emeritus of biology and former dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Xavier University.  He has written several books on the natural and environmental history of the greater Cincinnati region.

Listen to the Interview

Glenna Von Henna has posted a series of beautiful, stylized photos of Big Bone Lick State Park on Flickr.  The photos have an emotive, dream-like view of the park like you’ve never seen it before.  Click on the thumbnails below to see the full size photos on Flickr:

Ahoy, ye land lubbers!  Pirate Week is coming to Big Bone Lick State Park.  There will be pirate games and pirate crafts.  Find the captain’s lost treasure and return it for a special surprise!  Don’t forget to visit the pirate’s cove, pirate’s hideout, and the shipyard pub.

So set yer sails ya swabbies and have a swimmin’ good time.  Just be careful or the cap’n might make ye walk the plank!

Pirate Week festivities run from Wednesday, June 9 through Saturday, June 12, 2010, and are available only to campers in the Big Bone Lick Campground.