Big Bone Lick State Park is located at Big Bone in Boone County, Kentucky. It is located on Beaver Road and between the communities of Beaverlick and Rabbit Hash. The name of the park comes from the Pleistocene megafauna fossils found there. The mammoths and other creatures are believed to have been drawn to this location by a salt lick. It bills itself as "the birthplace of American paleontology" a term which dates from William Clark's expedition in 1807.

In 2002, the National Park Service designated Big Bone Lick State Park as an official Lewis and Clark Heritage Trail Site. The Park was also listed in 1972 on the National Register of Historic Places.

Attractions

A new visitor's center was officially opened on November 18, 2004, but this was only the first stage of a much larger project now in quest of funding. The center features American art and a 1,000 pound mastodon skull as well as a gift shop. The park also features several nature trails, including one with recreations of some of the animals whose bones were discovered in the past. A small bison herd is also maintained on-site. Another attraction to many visitors is the amusing name, which some see as an innuendo.

Gallery

References

See also

• Big Bone, Kentucky
• Pleistocene Megafauna

External links

• Official site
• History and Documents from Big Bone, Kentucky
• Lewis and Clark Expedition Site article
• Kentucky Geological Survey article
• Thomas Jefferson Fossil Collection

• http://groups.google.it/group/bigbonelick?lnk=lr&hl=it