William Clark's 1807
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President Thomas Jefferson viewed Meriwether Lewis' 1803 trip to Big Bone Lick as an opportunity to gather bones of the giant mammals he believed were still living in western North America. The loss of those bones on the Mississippi River prompted Jefferson to again send someone on his behalf to collect specimens from famed Big Bone. For years, Jefferson had maintained contact with owners of the property around Big Bone Lick and had permission for another expedition to the Lick. He had a list of particular bones of the mammoth's anatomy needed to complete an assemblage of the creature for the American Philosophical Society collection in Philadelphia. He also wanted to gather enough duplicate bones to supply a complete mammoth skeleton to the National Institute of France.

Jefferson had a shopping list but he needed someone to do the shopping on his behalf. Jefferson wanted someone in

Exhumation of the Mastadon by Charles Wilson Peale 1805-1808

whom he had complete faith and confidence, someone with the skills, discipline, and physical ability to complete the task. William Clark was the only man considered for the job. Accompanied by Cincinnati physician Dr. William Goforth and at least 8 "hired hands," William Clark went to Big Bone Lick on September 6, 1807. William's brother George Rogers Clark was also present. York, who had not yet been freed from slavery by William Clark, was almost certainly there as well. Thomas Jefferson funded the expedition entirely out of his own pocket.

Camp, Big Bone Lick, September 20, 1807
"Sir, I have been employed two weeks at this place with ten hands searching for the bones of the mammoth..." - excerpt from a letter from William Clark to Thomas Jefferson

While the first two weeks Clark and his party spent

George Rogers Clark portrait by Matthew Harris Jouett

at Big Bone Lick were not very production, they eventually recovered a huge collection of bones. These specimens were packed and sent down river to Locust Grove - George Rogers Clark's home at the Falls of the Ohio. In 1808, Jefferson finally received his long-awaited shipment of bones from Big Bone Lick. He had 300 of these specimens unpacked and arranged on the floor in a room at the White House, where he could study them at his leisure. He invited Dr. Caspar Wistar of the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia to view the magnificent collection.

Although Thomas Jefferson never personally visited Big Bone Lick, he made it famous worldwide. Thanks to Jefferson, Big Bone Lick is recognized as the birthplace of American Vertebrate Paleontology. Monticello is considered the legacy of Jefferson's passion for architecture. Big Bone Lick is the legacy of his passion for paleontology. With the help of Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, and George Rogers Clark, Thomas Jefferson realized his passion for this place in Kentucky known as Big Bone Lick.

George Rogers Clark portrait by Matthew Harris Jouett, 1825-1827.
Courtesy Filson Historical Society.

The Exhumation of the Mastodon, Charles Willson Peale, 1805-1808

William Clark's 1807Return to Big Bone Lick

William Clark's 1807
Return to Big Bone Lick