356 Visit to Big-bone Lick, in 1821. 



has been built, now mostly levelled and destroyed. All are on the 

 second bank of the Ohio. 



Without stopping long in Cincinnati, I crossed there the Ohio 

 to Covington, in Kentucky, on the west side of the mouth of Lick- 

 ing river. I went to survey the singular ancient monument near 

 Covington, at Mr. Jacob Fowle's ; the main road passes between 

 two circular mounds of unequal size; the eastern is 12 feet high; 

 the western 25, and has a pavilion on the top ; but the singular- 

 ity consists in a long sickle-shaped esplanade, running out of it to 

 the south, which is 350 feet long, about 80 broad, and 8 feet high. 



From Covington to Big-bone Lick, the distance is only 18 miles, 

 nearly S. W. over the limestone upland, gently undulating : near 

 the Lick the ground is more broken into ravines which open into 

 the Big-bone valley. 



I remained several days at the Lick, which is a watering place, 

 with ample accommodations; but I found the actual owner a 

 very surly man, who would no longer allow any excavations, 

 having imbibed the notion that digging would take away the 

 water from the spring, around which a pavilion and seats had 

 lately been erected. Seeking for bones was then out of the 

 question, and I spent my time in taking an ample survey of the 

 place, the valley, and the landing on the Ohio, with the sur- 

 rounding hills and monuments, now only two miles from the lick, 

 where steam boats land their passengers. I made some maps 

 and drawings, and collected several plants and fossils. 



Mr. Cooper's account of the place is tolerably correct, but his 

 map does not show all the streams, ravines and springs around 

 the place, and omits entirely the remarkable ancient mound, con- 

 nected with the Indian traditions mentioned long ago by Jeffer- 

 son, in his notes on Virginia. Yet this mound is only 300 yards 

 from the large boarding house, but in the woods on the steep hill 

 behind it, towards the S. E. It is elliptical, 10 feet high, 430 feet 

 in circuit at the base, 150 feet long, from N. to S. and is level on 

 the top, with a hollow in the centre, which I ascribe to some late 

 excavation, but am not positive, as no rubbish is seen. 



This was the mound from which the Great Spirit destroyed 

 the last mastodon, according to the tradition recorded by 

 Jefferson. 



Behind this mound, and towards the landing, are three small 

 sepulchral mounds near one of the springs of the western branch 



