Cincinnati Museum Center Heritage Programs have been presenting historical, cultural and architectural tours for over 20 years. Each month, Heritage Programs offer scheduled tours of unique sites of local or regional interest. All tours include lunch unless specified.
On Friday, June 4, from 9 am to 3:30 pm, Cincinnati Museum Center Heritage Programs will tour Big Bone Lick State Park. Cost is $70 for members, $75 for non-members. The registration deadline is May 28. Here is a description of the tour:
President Thomas Jefferson asked explorers Lewis and Clark to bring back animal remains from Big Bone Lick, now considered the “Birthplace of American Vertebrate Paleontology.” Dr. Glenn Storrs, Withrow Farney curator of vertebrate paleontology, leads us through the trails of the Kentucky State Park while interpreting the Ice Age events that have preserved the fossilized remains of mastodons, wooly mammoths and ground sloths. This tour involves long periods of standing and hiking up hills and through woods on uneven and wet trails, so please dress accordingly.
To register for a tour, call (513) 287-7031. Please note that payment must be received at the time of booking. For more information about the Heritage Program Tours, send an e-mail to: heritageprograms@cincymuseum.org.
Big Bone Lick State Park is now accepting sealed bids to purchase park bison. There are two lots for sale:
Lot #1: Two Bull Bison Calves (last year’s calves)
Lot #2: Three Female Bison Calves (last year’s calves)
To participate in this auction, fill out and mail the Bison bid sheet with $100.00 deposit to the Kentucky Department of Parks.
Bids must be received no later than noon, Tuesday March 30, 2010. The winning bid(s) will be notified that afternoon and will have until noon April 15, 2010, to remove the bison. Non-winners will be refunded their $100 deposit.
The book, “The Legacy of the Mastodon: The Golden Age of Fossils in America” by Dr. Keith Stewart Thompson, gets its start in Big Bone Lick. Quoting the official book description:
“The uncovering in the mid-1700s of fossilized mastodon bones and teeth at Big Bone Lick, Kentucky, signaled the beginning of a great American adventure. The West was opening up and unexplored lands beckoned. Unimagined paleontological treasures awaited discovery: strange horned mammals, birds with teeth, flying reptiles, gigantic fish, diminutive ancestors of horses and camels, and more than a hundred different kinds of dinosaurs.
“This exciting book tells the story of the grandest period of fossil discovery in American history, the years from 1750 to 1890. The volume begins with Thomas Jefferson, whose keen interest in the American mastodon led him to champion the study of fossil vertebrates. The book continues with vivid descriptions of the actual work of prospecting for fossils–a pick in one hand, a rifle in the other–and enthralling portraits of Joseph Leidy, Ferdinand Hayden, Edward Cope, and Othniel Marsh among other major figures in the development of the science of paleontology.
“Shedding new light on these scientists’ feuds and rivalries, on the connections between fossil studies in Europe and America, and on paleontology’s contributions to America’s developing national identity, THE LEGACY OF THE MASTODON is itself a fabulous discovery for every reader to treasure.”
Tri-State Shadow Chasers is a non-profit group of paranormal investigators from the Northern Kentucky area founded by Eddie Parks in 2008. They use scientific methods to investigate ghost and other paranormal activities, collecting evidence, taking photos, and capturing EVP (electronic voice phenomena), which are strange voices that cannot be heard by the human ear but are picked up with digital recorders.
Tri-State Shadow Chasers has teamed up with the park recreation staff for live Ghost Hunts at Big Bone Lick State Park. These Ghost Hunts are open to the public. You will learn about and use the various instruments employed during paranormal investigations. Authentic equipment will be on hand for anyone to use. You will explore several areas of the park, including the recently renovated 1888 Big Bone Methodist church, Nature Center, Visitor’s Center, the old office building, and several outdoor locations. The next Ghost Hunt starts Saturday March 20th at 8:00pm.
In 1963, the US Geological Survey and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln published a report titled, “Paleontologic Investigations at Big Bone Lick State Park, Kentucky: A Preliminary Report.”
The Big Bone Lick area in Kentucky is the first widely-known collecting locality for vertebrate fossils in North America. The study investigated Big Bone Lick for further faunal and geologic evidence. Mammal bones, ranging in age from Wisconsin to Recent, were recovered in 1962 from four different faunal zones in two terrace fills. In addition, 15 test holes were drilled with a power auger furnished by the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and samples were taken for analysis and examination for microfauna and microflora. Wood was collected for carbon-14 analysis.
The study indicates that are three terrace levels at Big Bone Lick above the present floodplain of the creek, the highest being of Tazewell age, and the two lower terraces of post-Tazewell age. Distinct bone-bearing alluvial deposits appear to be related to the terrace sequence. The sequence of terraces appears to be similar to that of the adjacent Ohio Valley, indicating that the history of the site is a part of the regional sequence of events.
Here is a diagrammatic cross-section showing the main bone-bearing zones of Big Bone Lick:
KYPetalPusher, aka L.K. Niceley from Union, Kentucky, documented her hike with friends on a sunny winter day at Big Bone Lick State Park:
“We started at the museum/gift shop, took Gobblers Trace up to the campground, then took the Coralberry trail around the lake. Finally, we dropped down to see the herd of buffalo at the park.”
Kentucky’s winter catch-and-release trout season is now open on 13 streams throughout the state. It’s officially called the “Delayed Harvest Program” because you cannot keep any trout caught in the designated streams from October 1 through March 31.
One of the 13 designated streams is the 2.1-mile-long Big Bone Creek inside Big Bone Lick State Park in Boone County.
Winter is not the best time to catch a lot of fish, but since fewer people fish in winter, the competition is less, which means the fishing action is often quite good.
The park recreation staff is teaming up with Tristate Shadowchasers to take you on a live Ghost Hunt at Big Bone Lick State Park. During the Ghost Hunt, you will learn about and use the various instruments employed during paranormal investigations. Authentic equipment will be on hand for anyone to use.
We will explore several areas of the park during our investigation, including the recently renovated 1888 Big Bone Methodist church, Nature Center, Visitor’s Center, the old office building, and several outdoor locations.
The investigation will start Saturday evening March 20th at 8:00pm. Everyone will meet at the Nature Center. To get to the Nature Center, take the second right after entering the park. The Nature and History Museum is the building right after the Visitor’s Center.
The investigation will last until 3:00 am. You are able to leave at any time and do not have to stay until the end. After the Ghost Hunt, Tristate Shadowchasers will review the evidence collected during the hunt. If any paranormal evidence was captured, a time will be set up for every one to come view the evidence.
Following is a summary of events at Big Bone Lick State Park for the remainder of 2010. See the official Big Bone Lick website for event details and updates.
Date
Event
Description
March 20-21, 10pm-4am
Big Bone Ghost Hunt
Night of investigating ghosts
May 8-9, 10pm-4am
Big Bone Ghost Hunt
Night of investigating ghosts
May 31, Noon-2:30pm
Atlatl Demonstration
Learn and experience first-hand the grace and power of the spear and atlatl weapon
June 5-6
Free Fishing Weekend
Free fishing, no license required, but all fishing regulations remain in effect
June 9-12
Pirate Week
Pirate games, crafts, party, dinners, camping
July 3, Noon-2:30pm
Creek Stomping
Swim with the naturalist in Big Bone Creek to stay cool while learning about nature
July 14-17
Winter Festival
Games and crafts, holiday decoration contest, for campers only
July 31, Noon-2:30pm
Atlatl Demonstration
Learn and experience first-hand the grace and power of the spear and atlatl weapon
August 7
Creek Stomping
Swim with the naturalist in Big Bone Creek to stay cool while learning about nature
August 29, Noon-2:30pm
Atlatl Demonstration
Learn and experience first-hand the grace and power of the spear and atlatl weapon
September 10-12
Lick the Wild
Full weekend of pre-historic based survival training taught from a “no modern tools” perspective: fire starting, water purification, making bone tools
September 18, 8:30am
Bad to the Bone Duathlon
Fifth annual run/bike duathlon with views of beautiful Kentucky scenery
October 3
Home Haunters Spooktacular
Learn how to turn everyday items into spooky Halloween decorations
October 15-17
Salt Festival
Festival with food, activities and demonstrations: flint-knapping, salt making, spear throwing, pioneer life, weaving, storytelling, music and more
The Northern Kentucky Sierra Club (NKY) is hosting a Winter Hike that covers all of the trails in Big Bone Lick State Park, including two trails blazed by the NKY Group in the past few years. The hike is Saturday, February 27 from 9am-12pm EST.
This hike includes up to 5 miles of trails that climb and descend many hills. Wear warm, weather-tolerant clothing, especially waterproof hiking shoes or boots with good treads. Bring your own liquids and trail snacks, as desired. A restroom is encountered midway on the hike.
RSVP to hike leader, John F. Robbins @ 859-363-0376 or johnfrobbins@insightbb.com by noon on Thursday, February 25, and include email and phone contact information. Cost: $1 for Sierra Club members, $2 for non-members.
Rating: Easy to moderate, suitable for beginners. Minors must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
