Following are three clips from a Big Bone Lick State Park documentary that was produced, directed and filmed by Ron E. Lawson for Kentucky Educational Television. KET started an Independent Producer’s Fund in 1991 to promote independent film production in Kentucky. Lawson received one of the first grants from this fund. He used the nominal grant to produce this half-hour program that was completed in August 1992.
Part 1:
The Boone-Union Masonic Lodge is hosting its annual Easter Egg Hunt at Big Bone Lick State Park starting at noon on Saturday, April 3, 2010. Over 2,000 eggs will be hidden for children ages 3-11 to find.
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.
Following are the Tri-State Shadow Chasers’ results of previous Ghost Hunts at Big Bone:
