1735 French military group finds bones on Ohio. Was this at Big Bone?

1739 de Longuiel visits a salt lick on the Ohio. Was this Big Bone?

1744 Robert Smith collects bones from Big Bone Lick

1756 Mary Ingles at Big Bone Lick

1762 Indians at Fort Pitt bartered a tooth and a piece of tusk, probably from Big Bone, for trade goods. These artifacts eventually reached Benjamin Franklin in London.

1762 Letter to Bartram

1768 Article by Hunter published in the Transactions of the Royal Society.

1770 William Christian is granted land at Big Bone Lick by Gov. Thomas Jefferson

1772 George Rogers Clark at Fort Pitt.

1773 The American settlements had reached 350 miles below the mouth of Fort Pitt.

1777 Long Island Conference near Holston, Virginia. Col William Christian, one of the Peace Commissioners who opened the Conference, was the first owner of the land and springs at Big Bone.

1777 Salt Petition to Virginia

1780 Forts built in Kentucky. Fort Jefferson, Fort Nelson, and possibly at this time a fort at BBL to protect the salt makers. It is shown on Cooper's map of 1831.

1781 Kentucky in a state of seige; Alexander Henry in the North West asked the Royal Society to finance exploration of the High Country

1782 Row-galley "Miami" built, lands at Big Bone; Jefferson to Clark on the fossils at Big Bone Lick. Clark promised to send a collection of bones.GRC had decided that the Mastodon was not carnivorous

1783 Jefferson asked for more bones, he hinted at the expedition to the west.

1784 John Clark family, with 14 year old William, set out for Kentucky. Spencer Records (March) two year old colt was found near the Big Bone lick

1789 William Clark rode with Col. John Hardin's volunteers

1792 John Heckwelder's family camp at Big Bone, notice salt boilers going to and fro.

1795 Edward Graham to John Breckenridge proposed to start a Museum with skeleton from Big Bone.

1796 Capt. William Henry Harrison, a future president, brought men with wagons from Cincinnati, where he lived, to the Lick. They collected 13 hogsheads of bones

1803 William Goforth excavates; David Ross, the owner, refuses further permission to dig

1803 (4 July) Washington, D.C. - President Jefferson officially sent Lewis on his mission. He gave Lewis a "letter of general credit" dated July 4, 1803. News of the purchase of the Louisiana Territory was published in the newspapers on this day. (6 July) Harpers Ferry, Va. (now W.Va.); (17 Jul) Elizabeth, Penn., (Pittsburgh area); (31 Aug) Elizabeth, Pennsylvania The 55 foot long keelboat was completed on this day, and Meriwether Lewis began his journey down the Ohio River; (4 Oct) Big Bone Lick, Kentucky. Meriwether Lewis excavated here; (14 Oct) Clarksville, Indiana, to home of George Rogers Clark; Louisville, Kentucky Lewis joined his old friend William Clark, the “young men from Kentucky” joined the expedition; (11 Nov) Fort Massac, Illinois.

1805 (6 May) Joseph Brann makes a motion to build a mill at Big Bone (saw and grist) Boone County Court Orders; Court Orders, (3 Jun 1805) quashed

1806 Louis and Clark return to Louisville, after being gone three years

1807 Clark excavates at Big Bone Lick

1810 James Colquhoun owns land at Big Bone Lick; has two extensive salt furnaces at work.

1815 Clay Hotel established, names after Henry Clay

1816 or 1817 John D. Clifford excavates at Big Bone Lick

1819 Collection made for the Western Museum Society of Cincinnati

1821 Constantine S. Rafinesque visits Big Bone Lick

The steamboat “General Pike” built at Big Bone.

The steamboat “Pilot” built at Big Bone

1827 The steamboats “Speedwell” and “Chesapeake” built at Big Bone

1828 Cooper and Cozzens, excavate and make maps.

1830 Survey made for David Carneal; Capt Benjamin Finnell, a resident of BBL, makes a collection of bones; William Bullock makes a collection

1831 Cooper publishes his map & article

(Feb) Rafinesque's article is published; he says Cooper's map leaves out many streams and other details such as Indian mounds

1843 Big Bone Baptist Church established

1860 Seabury Kite, a local resident, helped place the Sycamore Stump in the Gum Branch Spring about this year

1863 (29 Nov) Having spent night in Union, John Hunt Morgan and Capt Hines ride by Big Bone Lick with Perry Corbin after escaping a Northern prison

1868 Nathaniel S. Shaler, native of Newport, excavates

1870 New hotel built. Owned by C. A. McLaughlin

1876 Dr. Christopher C. Graham excavates. (Jillson apparently missed this excavation.); (Dec) Boone County Court (Order Book M p. 512): Ordered to lease grounds at Lick for excavation

(1 Jan) Boone County Court (Bk M, p. 521): Lease 2 acres for not less that $190.00 for one year; holes to be refilled; not to interfere with spring or creek

1879 Nathaniel H. Bishop visits Big Bone

Dr. John E. Stevenson and Dr. John A. Woods practice medicine at the Springs

1888 Big Bone Methodist Church established

1894 Myrix J. Crouch, M. D., a resident of Union, delivers a paper on Big Bone Springs; Reuben G. Thwaites visits Big Bone Lick. His description - sulphur smell in the air for half a mile; Still 50 acres of swamp

1896 The population of Big Bone is 120

1935 John Uri Lloyd writes a paper on Big Bone

1936 Jillson publishes the best history of Big Bone Lick

1963 Nebraska excavations begin