The Washington herald., 1909-01-03
REELFOOT LAKE, TENN
AND ITS UGLY HISTORY
Born of Earthquakes, 1t Has Been Center of
Human Strife-How 1t Got Its Recent
Deplorable Lynching Habit

Reel1Oot Lake, Wnefe CapL NuellLu
Rankin. the Trenton, Tenn. attorney,
was Iynched and Col. R z. Taylor per
mitted to escape by a midnight band Of
raiders a few weeks ago. Around Reel
foot Lake cluster uncOunted legends and
tales OF many varieties. most OF them
in keeping with the weird and CHASTITY
beauty OF the lake and its dead forest.
ReelfOot Lake is a part Of the Sunk
Lands Of the Mississippi Bottoms The
Sunk Lands comprise several thousand
square miles between Cairo and Mem
phis, and the name cones from the be-
lief that when the New Madrid earth
quakes convulsed the bottoms in IS11-12,
the land sank" permitting the waters
70 gather in great shallow basins. form
ing lakes. Of which ReeIfoot Lake is the
largest in Tennessee. and St Francis
Lake. in the swamps OF Arkansas and
Missouri. is the largest on the west side
Of the Mississippi
ReelfOot country" was the name given
BY the river and swamp hunters of Davy
Crockett's time 10 the region most af-
fected by the earthquakes, says R. 5.
Spears in the New York Post II ex-
presses graphically the condition OF az
fairs when "a man couldn't stand I'D nor
lie down" on account OF the terrific con-
WILSON'S OF the earth which followed one
another at frequent intervals beginning
in ISL and lasting at their worst for two
OF three years, and continuing with de-
Creasing severity down to the present
time when there are FIVE or six shocks
year which do no worse damage than
shake q few acres of land into the Mis-
sissippi throw down some CLimneyS.
and frighten the coIored population OF
Lake County. The people of the bottoms
are rather inclined to be proud Of their
little shakers and they take great de-
light in the 0pen-mouthed surprise OF
strangers who happen 70 be in the land
when an earthquake rolls across the bot
toms out OF the west. as I know from ex-
perienCe-
These earthquakes would he thought
very severe elsewhere In 1895. for in
stance. there was one which shook
plowmeu of their feet, cracked the
Holiday House AT Cairo, and badly dam
the Memphis sewer system The
people Of the bottoms depend on cisternS
for their drinking water. but In the earth
quake zone II is impossible 10 build them
Of cement. owing 10 the wracking they
receive from the seismic disturbances
Earthquakes of 1SII-12.
The earthquakes Of IS11-I2 made the
land roll Ike waves. There are letters
and descriptions which tell how the land
rocked" The story Of the first steamer
trip down the Ohio and Mississippi has
many times been told-how the Roose-
yelts on board found themselves rocked
and tossed about on the agitated waters
Elizabeth Brown wrote 70 the Rev. Lor-
EMO Dow that the first shock came on
December i. ISL. There was an awful
noise ike distant tnunde-. but more
hoarse, followed by the complete satura-
ton Of the atmosphere with suIphUrous
vapor, causing total darkness. There
were screams OF the afrighted inbabi-
tants, running 10 and fro. the cries OF
fowls and beasts. the cracking of trees
falling, and the current OF the Mississippi
turned and flowed up stream for four
hours Mrs La Font died Of fright On
January 3, 1872. a violent shock came
and from this time TO February / the
earth was IN continual agitation, visibly
waving as a gentle sea" On February 4
came a violent shock. and on the 18th four
more. On the 9Th. al four o'clock a n.
came the CONFUSION known as the hard
shock"
At first the Mississippi seemed 70 re-
cede from Its banks as the water gath
cred Up ike a mountain. leaving for
a moment the keeiboats that were here
New Madrid on their way 10 New Or
leans. on the bare sand, in which time
the poor sailors made their escape from
them II then raised from = to % feet
peTpendicularly and expanding. as It
were, the bank overlooked with a retro
gade movement as rapid as q torrent
The boats were torn from their mOorings
and driven up a little creek a quarter OF
mile. The river fell as rapidly as Il
rose. and tore OF young cOttOnwoods 50
that people thought Il a work Of art. so
regularly was Il done Fish were left
on the banks and the river was covered
with the wrecks OF boats i woman and
six children were reported dead
Mention Of ReeIfOOt.
Hundreds Of acres were covered with
sand, which boiled Up out Of splits and
holes IN the ground, and the site Of New
Madrid settled at least fifteen feet"
Many ponds back Of the town were dried
up. the beds being raised higher than
their shores Lately the woman wrote,
1t has been discovered that a lake was
formed on the opposite side Of the Mis-
Eissippi in the Indian country. upward
OF 100 miles IN length, and from one 10
six miles In breadth. and OF a depth OF
from ten 10 fifty feet II has cOmmunica-
ton ar both ends with the AIississippi.
and It is connected that IL will not be
many years before the principal part Of
the Mississippi win pass that way" This
was the first mention in writing OF Reel
foot Lake
The Reelfoot Lake region extends from
Hickman Ky, TO a few miles below Car
TtIthersville. No, q distance Of about
thirty-ive miles In a straight line. and
nearly seventy-five miles by the sIfssfs-
sippi River channel and covers abour
20 square miles The lake Itself Is about
fifteen miles long from, say. French
Slough 10 the road to TiptcnvfIle. Tenn.
Its width varies from g few hundred
feet 10 something over four miles. There
are many arms and hays, and the shore
line IS most irregular, the north end losing
itself IN cypress brake along eight or
ten distinct bayOUs-bere the tupelo gum
grows in t1eaCherOus mud which men.
mules, and hogs. alike avoid. The whole
lake is covered with gray stubs or The
dead forest. and one cannot see q Quarter
OF mile because Of the dead trees.
One needs 2 compass 70 travel that VII
derness- Instead OF rotting away. the
trees are Clipped and splintered by the
waves, and one sees where the water has
already cut into the trunks Many OF the
stubs have been cut away at the water
Hne, and If one does not know the .open
waterways OF the old bayOus he con
stantly runs aground on the stubs. Even
old fishermen sometimes lose themselves
= the dead wilderness. and many a man
has lost his life IN storms on the lake.
) the waves coming through the woods
With frisntfUl violence. pounding skiffS
and dugoUts 70 pieces on submerged logs