Yes, Big Bone Lick is a Funny Name
Wednesday, July 1st, 2009
As editor of this website, I subscribe to a Google Alert on the term “Big Bone Lick.” This means that nearly every day, Google sends me an email with links to the new articles on the Web that mention Big Bone Lick State Park.
And at least once a week, somebody on the Web discovers Big Bone Lick for the first time and just has to make fun of its name (for example, see 50 Funniest Street Signs).
So let’s dissect the humor. The term “Big Bone” refers to the large bones left behind by the mammoth, mastodon, ground sloth and bison that once roamed through mineral springs and swamps that were common here during the Pleistocene age. “Lick” refers “salt lick” which is a place where animals go to lick naturally occurring salt deposits. So “Big Bone Lick” is essentially a diner and cemetery for ancient animals. What’s so funny about that?
Kidding aside, “Big Bone Lick” invariably produces a chuckle in everyone who hears the name for the first time. I’ve seen countless tourists exit their cars at the park entrance to have their picture taken next to the Big Bone sign. I have no doubt the name itself has attracted a fair share of visitors to the park. Which is fine, because then perhaps these visitors will take a moment to see the natural beauty and historical significance this park has to offer.
