Reelfoot Lake
| Reelfoot Lake | |
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| Location | Lake / Obion counties, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 36°23′20″N 89°23′20″W / 36.38889°N 89.38889°WCoordinates: 36°23′20″N 89°23′20″W / 36.38889°N 89.38889°W |
| Type | sag pond |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Designated | 1966 |
Reelfoot Lake is a shallow natural lake located in the northwest portion of U.S. state of Tennessee, in Lake and Obion counties. Much of it is really more of a swamp, with bayou-like ditches (some natural, some man-made) connecting more open bodies of water called basins, the largest of which is called Blue Basin. Reelfoot Lake is noted for its bald cypress trees and its nesting pairs of bald eagles. It is the site of Reelfoot Lake State Park. Lake Isom, a similar, smaller lake to the immediate south, is a National Wildlife Refuge area.
According to the United States Geological Survey, Reelfoot Lake was formed when the region subsided during the 1811–12 New Madrid earthquakes. The earthquakes resulted in several major changes in the landforms over a widespread area, with shocks being felt as far away as Quebec, Canada.
In the early 20th century, the Reelfoot area was marked by widespread lawlessness and "Night Riding," who were resisting a land development company's buying up land around the lake. The governor of Tennessee, Malcolm R. Patterson, ordered the state militia into the area to try to restore order. The troubles began when a group of landowners purchased almost the entire shoreline of the lake. They formed the West Tennessee Land Company to enforce what they saw to be their legal rights, including the ownership of the lake itself, and most importantly its fishing rights. Most of the Night Riders were from families who had derived much of their living from fishing the lake for generations, joined by their friends and supporters.
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