Big Bone, Kentucky (place), is an area in southern Boone County, Kentucky. It is bounded on the west by the Ohio River, and Rabbit Hash, on the south by Big Bone Creek, which empties into the river at Big Bone Landing. The northern extent is along Hathaway Road, and the eastern portion extends not further than U. S. 42, and is approached from that direction by Beaver Road (Route 338) coming from either Richwood or Walton. Geographical features of interest include the now disappeared Big Bone Island and the Palisades of Big Bone Creek. The most notable feature is the famous Big Bone Lick. The name Big Bone also applies to the area of several thousand acres surrounding the Lick. The area is drained by Big Bone Creek, Gunpowder Creek and by Mud Lick Creek. The latitude of Big Bone is 38.88N. The longitude is -84.75W.

The most famous landmark of the area, Big Bone Lick, is now the site of a state park. The salt lick, or lick, as it is more generally known here, was long known to the original inhabitants of the area. It was discovered by people of European descent about 1735, the first recorded instance being one Robert Smith, an Indian trader. The area is rich in history, and was the site of a "Watering Place", an hotel that catered to the well-to-do in the early part of the nineteenth century. There have been at least three hotels associated with the springs. The area has traditionally been primarily agricultural. Early transportation was by river. There were a few steamboats built in the 1830's (until the white oak timber gave out). The largest town, now extinct, was Hamilton, named after an early magistrate, Joel Hamilton; family descendants still live in the area. Hamilton, on the river, was originally known as Landing, and was located at the mouth of Little Gunpowder Creek, now generally known as Landing Creek.

There were several schools in the area, the earliest before 1843. The earliest church was the Big Bone Baptist Church, in 1843, built on land donated by Gen. John Wallace and Thomas Huey. Until then most of the inhabitants of the area attended Middle Creek Baptist Church in Belleview. The only other church in the area, the Big Bone Methodist Church, was established in 1888. The building is still standing on land owned by the Park, and is presently undergoing repairs. There are a number of cemeteries in the area, the largest being at the Baptist Church. The oldest graves are from the 1840's. There have been excavations of several of the prehistoric sites in the area, as well as some excavations at historic sites. Several of the farms in the area were tended by slaves before the American Civil War. Probably the most famous visitor at that time was Gen. John Hunt Morgan, who passed by the Lick on a cold snow day, with Capt. Hines. They were escaping from prison after being captured in Union territory. The hamlet of Big Bone gained some status in the early 1900's, and a "traction road" (railway) was proposed several times, but never materialized. The park itself became a reality due primarily to the efforts of John Uri Lloyd (1849 - 1936), a notable researcher and writer from the county who founded the "Big Bone Lick Historical Association."

The name of the area has often called for comment. The extraordinarily large bones of mammoths and mastodons found in the swamps around the salt lick frequented by animals, who need salt in their diets, was the most notable feature to be found in the entire geographical region. Even the first maps noted it as "the place the big bones are found."

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References:

Willard Rouse Jillson, Big Bone Lick, Louisville, 1936.
Adrienne Mayor, "Marsh Monsters of Big Bone Lick", Fossil Legends of the First Americans, Chapter 1, p. 1-31.
On Big Bone Island
Further documents can be found at http://www.oocities.org/bigbonehistory/ Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Bone%2C_Kentucky"
See also the following paper: Lewis and Clark and Big Bone Lick
Big Bone Springs Water Company, 1916