What role did Night Riders play in Tennessee?
On the night of October 19, 1908, after several weeks of increasingly violent activities, events moved swiftly to a tragic stage. Masked riders kidnapped Tennessee Land Company officers R. Z. Taylor and Quinton Rankin from Ward’s Hotel in Walnut Log.
Who was Quentin Rankin?
Captain Quintin Rankin served with the Second Tennessee Volunteer Infantry during the Spanish American War. After the war he was chief counsel for the West Tennessee Land company who was trying to control the fishing interest of Reelfoot lake.
Was Reelfoot Lake created by an earthquake?
Reelfoot Lake, shallow lake on the boundary between Lake and Obion counties in northwestern Tennessee, U.S., near Tiptonville. It was formed by the earthquakes that occurred along the New Madrid Fault in the winter of 1811–12.
Is Reelfoot Lake man made?
It is the site of Reelfoot Lake State Park. The lake is 20 miles long and 7 miles wide, with an average depth of 5.5 feet, the maximum depth being 18 feet. But what makes Reelfoot Lake so unique is that it’s the only large natural lake in the state of Tennessee. All others are man-made.
Who were the night riders and why were they important?
Originally known as the Silent Brigade, The Night Riders were a vigilante force opposed to the American Tobacco Company because it priced tobacco so low that farmers could not make any profit from their work. The head of the Night Riders was David Amoss, a medical doctor and farmer.
Can you swim in Reelfoot Lake?
While the shallow lake offers many opportunities for boating and fishing, swimming in the lake is not permitted. The park has several hiking trails that are popular for bird watching and wildlife viewing. There are two campgrounds at Reelfoot Lake State Park.
What’s the deepest part of Reelfoot Lake?
18′Reelfoot Lake / Max depth
Size and Depth: 15,500 acres at a normal lake elevation of 282.2 feet above mean sea level. About 68 percent of the lake (mostly on the lake’s north end) is 3 feet deep or less. The average depth is 5.5 feet and the maximum depth is 18 feet.
Who led the Night Riders?
David Amoss
Originally known as the Silent Brigade, The Night Riders were a vigilante force opposed to the American Tobacco Company because it priced tobacco so low that farmers could not make any profit from their work. The head of the Night Riders was David Amoss, a medical doctor and farmer.
Who created the Night Riders?
Four men and one woman made late night rides, alerting the early Americans of what dangers lay ahead. They were Paul Revere, Samuel Prescott, Israel Bissell, William Dawes, and Sybil Ludington.
What is the average depth of Reelfoot Lake?
5.5 feet
The lake is 20 miles long and seven miles wide, encompassing 15,000 acres, with an average depth of 5.5 feet, the maximum depth being 18 feet. A natural wonder of the world, Reelfoot Lake is noted for its bald cypress trees and its nesting pairs of bald eagles.
Is Reelfoot Lake deep?
Who were the Night Riders at Reelfoot Lake?
Paul Vanderwood’s “Night Riders at Reelfoot Lake” is the definitive book on this subject. Researched in the 1950s, Vanderwood interviewed about 25 people from Obion and Lake counties who lived through that era, including seven people who had once been night riders.
What happened to the Night Riders in Tennessee?
Tennessee indignation toward the night riders peaked two weeks later. On Oct. 19, 1908, West Tennessee Land Company attorneys Rankin and Taylor were dragged from a hotel in the community known as Walnut Log. Rankin was hanged from a tree and shot; Taylor fled into the swamp amid a storm of bullets and was presumed dead by his captors.
What happened at Reelfoot Lake?
With the murder of Quentin Rankin, Tennessee Gov. Malcolm Patterson finally reacted, calling out the Tennessee National Guard to restore order in the Reelfoot Lake area. Working with law enforcement officials and hundreds of volunteers, they rounded up about 50 suspects.
Can you fish in Reelfoot Lake?
In 1914, the state of Tennessee purchased Reelfoot Lake and much of its shoreline. A law was passed declaring the lake public domain, which means people can fish there, regardless of who owns the shoreline. Today the lake and much of its shoreline are public property.