Book on Big Bone Lick: The Cradle of American Paleontology
Monday, March 9th, 2009Following 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 
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.
