The island has disappeared due mostly to the raising of the river caused by the placement of the Markland Dam, but also due to slabs of floating river ice which destroyed much of the vegetation and carried away most of the soil. In January 1978, the Ohio River rapidly rose from 29.6 feet on January 25 to 53.9 feet on January 30, during what has been described as "one of the most severe winter months in southwestern Ohio history." This caused an enormous ice jam, which eventually broke, sending "a wall of ice and water" downstream. It has been stated that the decisions and actions of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on January 27, 1978 at the Markland Dam caused the ice jam to break. This was characterized as being perhaps the worst disaster in modernity on the Ohio River, and caused significant damage, with entire docks, barges and boats crammed against or forced through the Markland dam, and many boats and barges sunk. The ice literally "shaved off" Big Bone Island at the time. Sometime in the 1970s, the island disappeared entirely. References Further reading External links Historical Documents at Big Bone History Historical Images of Big Bone Lewis and Clark and Big Bone Lick Big Bone Lick Blog Unincorporated communities in Boone County, Kentucky Unincorporated communities in Kentucky