Form 10-300 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR STATE: (July 1969) NATIONAL PARK SERVICE COUNTY: NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES Bonne INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM FOR NPS USE ONLY ENTRY NUMBER DATE (Type all entries — complete applicable sections) COMMON: /? l >i "^""'V-</>sx Big Bone Lick State Park /t RECEIVED v\ AND/OR HISTORIC: Big Bone Lick la STREET AND NUMBER: Route # 1 \3\ REGISTE!-' /:•/ CITY OR TOWN: X/'/'; -- ,~..^_....~^\^/ Union -~-^: 1 !]^,\ \l- '" STATE '" CODE COUNTY: CODE Kentucky 21 Boone 015 STATUS ACCESSIBLE CATEGORY OWNERSHIP (Check One) TO THE PUBLIC Q District Q Building Q Public Public Acquisition: n Occupied Yes: r5fi if .1 Kl Restricted [3$ Site Q Structure D Private S '" Process 13 Unoccupied ^ i in . D Unrestricted D Object D Bot" A n Being Considered . 1 _1 Preservation work Additional PC acreage irk in progress D No PRESENT USE (Check One or More as Appropriate) Q Agricultural Q Government jffi Park I | Transportation CD Comments |~~1 Commercial l~l Industrial | | Private Residence ?T| Other (Soecifv) Q] Educational 1 1 Military Q Religious Day - use park Q Entertainment fl Museum [~l Scientific WJfcl :h. camp ing £« OWNER'S NAME: STATE: Kentucky Department of Parks STREET AND NUMBER: State Office Building Annex CITY OR TOWN: STA"[-E: CODE Frankfort Kentucky 21 pil^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^i^^^?i^^^^^^Xi^i COURTHOUSE, REGISTRY OF DEEDS, ETC: COUNTY: Boone County Courthouse STREET AND NUMBER: "" Main Street CITY OR TOWN: STA"FE CODE Burlington Kentucky 21 .-:':-:-: : :-. -: '-: :-: : i-:':-:':-:'!':-.':''-^:''-:-::';:-:-';1:-:---'1-':-:':::':'1':-.':':':''':':.:':-' :•:•:•:•:•:•:•••:•:••« :-:-:-^-:<-:-:-:-:-:<-:^-:-^<;:: :^::^^::^^i;:;:::;:::;:;::::::::::::V^;:::::V:y:':::^':::;:':::;:^ ']-^^-l:-t^^'^':W^:-::<^:^^^t^tXt:K^:XS TITLE OF SURVEY: ENTR Survey of Historic Sites in Kentucky Tl O NUMBERY DATE OF SURVEY: March 1971 C Federal 3Ok State Q County Q Loca 70 DEPOSITORY FOR SURVEY RECORDS: Z TJ t/i Kentucky Heritage Commission C C/l STREET AND NUMBER: m O 401 Wapping Street zr~ CITY OR TOWN: STAT E: CODE Frankfort Kentucky 21 DATE !i$i$!;tK illS;iiiiiiiii|::^ip;:|;:Sg|i IHwjSTO^iJiiiffiil (Check One) D Excellent f~l Good [g Fair O Deteriorated D Ruins [~| Unexposed CONDITION (Check One.) (Check One) IS Altered Q Unaltered D Moved ^3C Original Site DESCRIBE THE PRESENT AND ORIGINAL (if known) PHYSICAL APPEARANCE The property proposed is now in acquisition as an addition- to Big Bone Lick State Park. The 80 acres contain nearly all areas of historic significance. The 1,200 square feet com­ prising the Baker Cemetery is adjacent to the road leading towards the camping area. It is surrounded by a low wall. Pleistocenei remainsi wej:^^^^ versft^7°?JS^fer^fe^ .funded in part by a grant from the Nation; Science Foundation. The project was conducted from July 1962 ..___... All fossils removed were numbered and shipped to, J:he University of Nebraska State Museum for prepar­ ation^ id_ejitif ication and further study. The sites were occasionally open to the public while the excavations were in progress. A representative collection of artifacts is to be rn returned to the park when a museum is ready. m No structures remain that were associated with the area's history as a health resort, but the location of these struetutes^ is known. The Springs are less active than they were in the 19th century. From the location of the old fort and salt works, relics have been recovered,. These include a hogshead in which the salt n produced had been stored. _ ... The original appearance of the site in the IStfe and 19th cen- " "ttifies is de'scfibecl in''the statement of significance, #8. PERIOD (check One: OF More as Appropriate) E2 Pre-Columbian | D Tdth Century 18fh Century 20th Century D 15th Century Q ^*h Century 19th Century SPECIFIC DATEts* (It Applicable and Known) AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE: fC&eck O»e or More as Appropriate} -Q •Aloor iginpl •-; •- P~t^ 6 diuaati on- Q^ Prehistoric f~l Engineer! ng: Q Historic {~1 Industry Eosophy Q Agriculture f~ll Invention E~l Architecture \ | Landscape 1 I Sculpture D Art Architecture |Cj£ Social/Human­ f~| Commerce f~~l Literature itarian |~| Communications Q Military O Theater { | Conservation Q Music f I Transportation TATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE During the Pleistocene age, enotmous members of Herbivprous animals existed in this vicinity] The: are a! is""recognized as the key to understanding the Tiffe1 of'"the" Ice'Age on this con­ tinent over 10,000 years ago. The Manranoth..and __ tJke^jagsjtpdqn were among the mammals to visit the Lick. Ancestors of the sloth, bison and horse also frequented the area. All these aame to eat the vegetation and to lick the salty earth around U the springs. The land was soft and marshy and many of the animals became mjj:ecM_n the ^ogs and died, their bones tramp­ led into the soft soil. The area was widely known by the aboriginal tribes that inhabi­ ted the Ohio Valley. The J^i.diari|_re 1 ied on^the^e centrally located springs for muck of their salt and 'a large amount of their game. An^anexcavated mound in the area attests to their ILJ presence. White man learned of the existence of Big Bone Lick from Indians, such as the Delaware and .Shawnee, , (whp,.had.rvisite there before. The first explorer to visit was a French Canadian, de Longueil in 1739. His was the first of many expeditions to the site. A map of Louisiana, dated 1744, marks the lick as the "place where they found the elephant bones in 1739." 1744 marked the first recorded removal of fossil bones from the lick by Indian trader Robert Smith. As word spread of the abundance of large bones, more explorers came and removed quantities of the relic The Shawnee Indians brought the first white woman to Kentucky. Mary Ingles had been captured and was accompanying the Indians when they came to Big Bone Lick on a salt making expedition. During this stay in 1756, she escaped and returned to her home in Virginia. (see continuation sheet) ----, Baker Cemetery; M.L. Risner, Superintendent, Big Bone Lick S.P. ----, Big Bone Lick State Park ; Spindletop Research Project No. 311, 1971. ----, Prospectus; Big Bone Liek Historic Shrine and State Recreation Park; Big Bone Lick Historical Association, Florenc Kentucky. Collins, Lewis, Historical Ske tches oT Kentiic^y;;rJrA; & U.P. O James, Cincinnati 1847. rage 5^. O 0 LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE COORDINATES LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE COORDINATES DEFINING A RECTANGLE LOCATING THE PROPERTY ' ) DEFINING THE CENTER POINT OF A PROPERTY . OF LESS THAN TEN ACRES ——————— . —————————: ______ p- —— I-N^ _________________ |< —————————————————————— — ————r? —— ± —— r— 1 —— r— i --—————__ CORNER LATITUDE LONGITUDE LATITUDE LONGITUDE ^ P-5are.es ^Mnu.tes S^*-"nids Degf«,s Miry'^s Seconds Degrees Minutes Seconds Degrees Minutes Seconds NW 38 !°° 53} * ': 16 " 84 ° 45 '' 25" 0 . » 0 •'•'.'.'• S NE 38fj-° 5§' 20; " 84 °- 45 ' 05 " SE 38° 53' ,,01" - 84; '* 45 ' 10 " SW . orj - c-^ ' -r\A; " QA ° AC- ' ->Q " Ui APPROXIMATE ACREAGE OF^NOMIN A*T ED p'&O< PERfY": 80 [LIST ALL STATES AND COUNTIES FOR PROPERTIES OVERLAPPING STATE OR COUNTY BOUNDARIES. STATE: CODE COUNTY ') CODE rn •< •), > m STATE: CODE COUNTY: CODE -;— . :;- '. t • •' STATE: CODE COUNTY: CODE 00 STATE: CODE COUNTY: CODE H NAME AND Tl TLE: '- ^ • \ ' i v .•;',.. L Kathy C. Lambert, Assistant Curator n ORGANIZATION DATE Kentucky Department of Paris' - J - J •-•—• -- 7/25/71 STREET AND NUMBER: o State Office Building Annex : -»: A i ir i: ~jili) i.-j a. CITY OR TOWN: STATE CODE Frankfort Kentucky 21 l^^^lMi^^i^ii^liil^^WMt^li^i»p As the designated State Liaison Officer for the Na­ I hereby certify that this property is included in the tional Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (Public Law 89-665), I hereby nominate this property for inclusion National Register. ' '- "„ ' ' ~ -" in the National Register and certify that it has been evaluated according to the criteria and procedures set forth by ths^National Park Service. "The recommended Chief, Office of Archeology and Historic Preservation level of/sign\fij»tmce of this nomination is: Nationa^T n State D Local Q , ATTEST: , . .* •••><• ,'• • ; Title "O/-) (J /•Ceeper of The fflafional RegTsteatf \ f Date August 11, 1971 Date Form 10-300a UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE STATE (July 1969) NATIONAL PARK SERVIC Kentucky NATIONAL REGISTER OF HIS INVENTORY - NOMIN Boone FOR NPS USE ONLY ENTRY NUMBER (Continuation (Number all entries) #8 Statement of Significance: In 1773, a survey party reported using the enormous ribs of the mammoth and mastodon for tent poles and the vertebrae as stools or seats. Explorers noted that the large bones lay scattered throughout the valley. The first map of Kentucky, prepared by John Filson in 1784, bore on the legend: "Big Bone Lick; Salt and Medicinal Spring. Large bones are found there." The expedition.made by Captain William Clark to Big Bone Lick foi President Jefferson was the first organized vertebrae paleotolog} expedition in the United States. f!807) President 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 country to the west. He had a room set aside in the White House for the display of the Big Bone collection. The collection was divided; parts went to Paris, France, Philadelphia and Jefferson's personal collection. His collection was unfor­ tunately ground into fertilizer by a servant. From 1831 to 1848, Big Bone Lick was visited by various Paleon­ tologists and geologists. The lick was included in indexes of all the principal geological, palenntological and scientific journals in the United States, England, Germany and Franfee. The latest investigation of Big Bone Lick was conducted by the University of Nebraska, The five year dig was financed by grants from several research organizations (1962-1966) Between 1756 and 1812, while excavations were continuing, the salt industry developed at Big Bone.