- Historic Sites Big Bone Lick State Park During the Pleistocene
age, which occurred during the last great Ice Age, enormous
herds of herbivorous animals existed in the vicinity of what is
today Big Bone Lick State Park. The area is recognized as the
key to understanding the life of the Ice Age on the North
American continent over 10,000 years ago. The mammoth and the
mastodon were among the animals to visit the Lick. Ancestors of
the sloth, bison and horse also frequented the area, which had
vegetation and salty earth around the springs that the animals
used to supplement their diet. The land was soft and marshy and
many of the animals became mired in the bogs and died. The
springs there were known for their medicinal qualities and by
1821 Big Bone Lick was one of the most celebrated resorts in
that part of the Ohio Valley. A large hotel was erected and
named Clay House, in honor of Henry Clay, the famous statesmen
from Lexington, Kentucky. The American buffalo, or bison, is the
largest of all North American