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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.[2] The Park was also listed in 1972 on the National Register of Historic Places.
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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.
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[edit] References
- ^ (1992) "Big Bone Lick", in Kleber, John E.: The Kentucky Encyclopedia, Associate editors: Thomas D. Clark, Lowell H. Harrison, and James C. Klotter, Lexington, Kentucky: The University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 0813117720.
- ^ Wecker, David. "Big Bone Lick: Books, awards and festival give pride of Boone County its due", The Kentucky Post, E. W. Scripps Company, 2002-10-19. Retrieved on 2007-02-05. Archived from the original on 2006-05-11.
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