Big Bone Lick

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:

See the entire report (PDF)

Adapted from the National Park Service:

Meriwether Lewis traveled to Big Bone Lick in October 1803 on his way west to join William Clark and the men assembling in Louisville for the Corps of Discovery.  Lewis sent a box of Big Bone specimens back to President Jefferson.

Jefferson devoted much time to the study of Big Bone Lick and believed that some of the large animals might still be living in the western regions of the country.

In 1807, after the Corps of Discovery disbanded, Jefferson sent Clark to Big Bone Lick for the first organized vertebra paleontology expedition in the United States.  Clark employed laborers and collected enough bones in three weeks’ time to ship three huge boxes to the President.

Jefferson had a room in the White House to display the Big Bone collection.  The collection was divided and shipped to the National Institute of France in Paris, to Philadelphia, and to Jefferson’s personal collection, which was unfortunately ground into fertilizer by a careless servant.

The Lewis and Clark Expedition

Visitors to the Behringer-Crawford Museum can view excavated specimens from Big Bone Lick State Park in a display called “Kentucky on Ice.”  From its brochure:

“Trek through Kentucky during the last glacial period and learn about Ice Age geology and the great beasts of the Ice Age.  Experience the thrill of holding a Wooly Mammoth tooth, just as the first paleontologist who discovered it did.  Discuss the different theories of why these larger than life mammals died out.  Many specimens are on display for you to handle and investigate.”

The Behringer-Crawford Museum is located on 1600 Montague Road in Devou Park in Covington, Kentucky.  Call 859-491-4003 or email info@bcmuseum.org for more information.

From the book, Big Bone Lick: The Cradle of American Paleontology, by Stanley Hedeen:

In 1828, while zoologist William Cooper was collecting specimens at Big Bone Lick, Cincinnati physician Daniel Drake proudly wrote of the location’s widespread reputation: “This spot has acquired a notoriety that is not even limited to the United States.  Its name explains the nature of this distinction.  No place in America, perhaps none in the world, has afforded an equal number of large fossil bones.”

Big Bone Lick is one of the most famous paleontological sites in North America.  Vast numbers of bones were collected throughout the mid 1700’s and transported to museums throughout the world.

In 1807, President Thomas Jefferson commissioned Captain William Clark to excavate bones from Big Bone Lick for scientific study.  This made Big Bone Lick the first official paleontological collecting site in North America.  Collected bones made their way to museums throughout the world and into Jefferson’s Monticello home in Virginia, where the bones can still be viewed today.  The discovery of "elephant" bones at Big Bone Lick was one of the reasons that Thomas Jefferson sent explorers westward to Kentucky and beyond in hopes of discovering new species.

Because the bones from Big Bone Lick were different than bones of modern elephants, Benjamin Franklin and other scientists began to question the changes that must have occurred in the Earth’s past to render these animals extinct.  Eventually they learned these big bones belonged to mammoths and mastodons, two types of extinct elephants.

Read more at Kentucky Geological Survey

Big Bone Lick State Park — the most famous, fossil-rich area in the Cincinnati region — gave the world the first evidence of several extinct species, including the American Mastodon.  Stanley Hedeen, author of a new book on the subject, Big Bone Lick: The Cradle of American Paleontology (2008), brings the history and paleontology of Big Bone Lick to life through discussion and images shown in these videos.

Dr. Hedeen is emeritus professor of biology and former dean of Arts and Sciences at Xavier University, is a member of the Ohio Biological Survey Steering Committee, the Hamilton County Environmental Action Commission, the Cincinnati Museum Center Natural History Advisory Board, the Mill Creek Restoration Project Board of Trustees, the list goes on and on.  Hedeen received the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Quality Award for his "professional and community activities which serve to improve the quality of the environment."  Hedeen earned a B.A. in Biology from Augustana College in Illinois and a Ph.D. in Zoology from the University of Minnesota.

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Following is the press information about a new book by Stanley Hedeen, Big Bone Lick: The Cradle of American Paleontology.

On March 7, 1808, President Thomas Jefferson received a long-awaited shipment of approximately 300 fossils from William Clark, who had just completed his westward expedition with Meriwether Lewis. The fossils were unearthed at Big Bone Lick in northern Kentucky, and over the years they had gained the interest of such prominent figures as Daniel Boone, George Washington, and Benjamin Franklin. Jefferson’s receipt of the fossils was the realization of more than twenty years of the philosopher-statesman’s interest in the site and its natural treasures.

Big Bone Lick: The Cradle of American Paleontology recounts the rich history of the fossil site that gave the world the first evidence of the extinction of several mammalian species, including the American mastodon. Big Bone Lick has played many roles: nutrient source, hallowed ground, salt mine, health spa, and a trove of archaeological riches and paleontological wonders. Natural historian Stanley Hedeen presents a comprehensive and accessible narrative of Big Bone Lick from its geological formation forward, explaining why the site attracted first animals, then Native peoples of the region, European explorers and scientists, and eventually American pioneers and presidents.

Big Bone Lick is a history of both a place and a scientific discipline: it explores the infancy and adolescence of paleontology from its humble and sometimes humorous beginnings. Hedeen combines elements of history, geology, politics, and biology to make Big Bone Lick an entertaining story as well as a valuable historical resource.

Starting Friday through September 7, visitors to the Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal will be the first to see a new traveling exhibit that focuses on feathered dinosaurs, called Dinosaurs Unearthed.

The exhibit includes 24 life-size, moving, roaring dinosaur models — from the 14-inch-tall, feathered microraptor to the 22-foot-tall, 55-foot-long apatosaurus outside Union Terminal.  Eight have feathers, and visitors can control four non-feathered models themselves with the push of a button and the flip of a switch.  The exhibit is accompanied by the Omnimax film "Dinosaurs Alive!," which also runs through Sept. 7.

The 15,000-square-foot exhibit will be the largest traveling dinosaur exhibit to come to Greater Cincinnati.  Although there have been other exhibits that included feathered dinosaurs, producers believe Dinosaurs Unearthed is the first to feature life-size models.

The exhibit include pieces of fossil discoveries from Big Bone Lick State Park.  These fossils will appear in the display case at the entrance to the museum in this brand-new installation.

Digital Dinos:  You will also be able to view interactive online exhibits about Big Bone Lick and feathered dinosaurs at the museum’s website.  Surf from your home or try your hand at Smartboard technology with the Museum Center’s digital dinos while you’re there.  On-location browsing requires museum admission.

Museum admission: $8 adults, $7 seniors 60 and older, $6 for children 3-12.

Story at Cincinnati.com

Dinosaurs Unearthed webpage