Thomas Jefferson's Role in Early American Paleontology and Mastodon Research

The Cincinnati Museum Center holds materials documenting Thomas Jefferson's involvement in early American paleontology. During the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Jefferson sought to counter European theories of American degeneracy by collecting evidence of large native animals, particularly the American mastodon. He commissioned William Clark to conduct the first formal fossil excavation at Big Bone Lick, Kentucky in 1807, an event now recognized as foundational to vertebrate paleontology in the United States. The museum's collection includes Clark's 1807 letter describing these efforts. While Jefferson initially hoped living mastodons might be found in the Louisiana Territory, scientific analysis by figures like Georges Cuvier ultimately confirmed the species' extinction, marking a significant shift in natural history understanding.