Hiking Team: Dave Miller, Rosie Miller, Nick Kelly, Jacque Kelly, Elizabeth Kelly, John Kelly
Date: May 18, 2025
We visited an early site on the Lewis & Clark Trail National Historic Trail where in 1803 Meriwether Lewis found giant elephant bones here. This new .8-mile loop trail began behind the visitor center where many Mastodons, a giant sloth and other prehistoric animals were on display sinking into the springs. Back in the Ice Age, American Mastodons and Harlan’s Giant Ground Sloth traveled to the spring area to lick the mineral rich soil. Indians and white settlers eventually made salt here from the natural saline spring water.
We hiked down the shady trail and came to a boardwalk overlooking the spring. You could smell the sulfur smell in the boggy spring.
Afterwards, we hiked over to the Cedar Run Trail and saw nine head of bison grazing there. Elizabeth observed many birds, insects, plants & more items and received her Junior Ranger Badge here.
