Photograph by Jeremy Kramer
No hiking trip is complete without a life-sized tableau of ancient bison in the throes of death—at least not at Big Bone Lick State Park. The diorama pit, originally built in 1975, has been moved and slightly changed over time but has remained a park fixture for 50 years.
“The diorama was originally installed to show the interaction of animals visiting the salt springs to lick mineral nutrients and becoming entrapped in the sticky mud, as that was the original theory used to explain the large accumulation of bones dating back to the 18th century,” says Park Interpreter and Bison Caretaker Claire Kolkmeyer. “After an excavation in 2008, the theory pivoted to a more accurate explanation of the bone build-up as a hunting and butchering site.”
The pit was then renovated by Friends of Big Bone to include new signage and Paleo-Indian figures. Even with the update, visitors of all ages can enjoy the accurate megafauna sinking into the ground and having their guts spill out.
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