Tug Valley history for riders
Hatfield-McCoy feud history
The feud involved neighboring families along the Tug Fork, with much of the violence in the 1880s. The Hatfields lived mainly in West Virginia's Logan County, including what is now Mingo County; the McCoys mainly across the river in Pike County, Kentucky. The families also had relatives on both sides of the conflict.
Who were Devil Anse Hatfield and Randolph McCoy?
Anderson “Devil Anse” Hatfield was the Hatfield patriarch and leader during the feud. The WV Encyclopedia biography describes his Confederate service during the Civil War. He was a different person from his cousin, Anderson “Preacher Anse” Hatfield, who heard the later hog case.
Randolph McCoy was the McCoy patriarch. According to his WV Encyclopedia biography, he and his wife Sarah raised their family on a small farm on Blackberry Fork of Pond Creek in Pike County. After the attack on their home, he moved to Pikeville.
Key events in the Tug Valley
- 1865: Harmon McCoy, Randolph's brother and a Union veteran, was killed. The WV Encyclopedia describes Confederate guerrillas as suspected, rather than treating responsibility as proven.
- 1878: Randolph accused Floyd Hatfield of stealing a hog. The trial ended in Floyd's acquittal.
- 1880: Rose Anna McCoy, Randolph's daughter, and Johnse Hatfield, Devil Anse's son, began a relationship that added to family tensions.
- 1882: At the Blackberry Creek election, McCoy brothers fatally wounded Ellison Hatfield, Devil Anse's brother. Hatfields subsequently killed the captured brothers at pawpaw bushes beside the Tug Fork.
These episodes follow the WV Encyclopedia's feud account.
The 1888 New Year's Night attack
WV Archives and History describes a raid on Randolph McCoy's home led by Jim Vance, Devil Anse's uncle. The attackers burned the house, killed Randolph's children Alifair and Calvin, and badly injured Sarah. Randolph escaped. The Archives account says the raiders intended to prevent testimony in impending trials.
The WV Encyclopedia describes the subsequent pursuit of the Hatfields and fighting at Grapevine Creek near present-day Matewan. The attack brought further arrests and prosecutions.
How the feud ended
The Archives account describes the feud as fading after the trials. Several defendants received prison sentences; Ellison Mounts was sentenced to hang. The WV Encyclopedia dates his execution in Pikeville to 1890 and identifies it with the end of the family war.
There is no single established cause in the Archives account. Describing the feud solely as a fight over a pig misses the earlier violence and later legal disputes. Its account also explains how national reporting used the conflict to stereotype Appalachians.
How the trails got the name
The WV Encyclopedia's Hatfield Family entry identifies the recreational trails among the ventures using the families' names. Its trail history records the first section opening in October 2000. The name connects a modern recreation network with the region's history.
Put the history alongside your ride
Use our feud sites guide to plan stops. WV Tourism's driving tour includes the Coal House in Williamson, the Hog Trial site, the Hatfield Family Cemetery, the Pawpaw Tree Incident marker and historic Matewan. Plan your riding separately with the Buffalo Mountain and Devil Anse guides and current official maps. A historical connection does not establish a legal ATV route to a site.
Sources
- wvencyclopedia.org — entries / 289
- wvencyclopedia.org — entries / 256
- wvencyclopedia.org — entries / 1569
- archive.wvculture.org — history / timetrl / ttjan
- wvencyclopedia.org — exhibits / 10 / sections / 132
- wvencyclopedia.org — entries / 257
- wvencyclopedia.org — entries / 293
- wvtourism.com — tour mccoy hatfield feud