The night was Oct. 20, 1908
around 1:00 a.m. in the morning at the base of an ash tree along
Bayou Du Chien north of Walnut Log where the Night Riders
story changed forever at Reelfoot Lake.
The Night Riders were formed by local citizens in the Reelfoot
Lake area in the early 1900s. These
were the offspring of early pioneers that migrated to the region
seeking new lives and wealth because
of the abundance of wildlife and fertile lands. These people
consider Reelfoot Lake a free lake for
all people. However, this was to change when an inspiring individual
from Lake County, TN decide
to capitalize for his own wealth and gain by owning Reelfoot
Lake. J. C. Harris had a strong desire
to personally own Reelfoot Lake and for a short time he did.
His plan was to bar all others from any
use of Reelfoot Lake and to drain it for farm land and logging.
This meant that all locals that had
been using Reelfoot Lake to supply food and income to their way
of life would now be trespassers
on Reelfoot Lake.