The Hatfield–McCoy Feud involved two American families of the West Virginia–Kentucky area along the Tug Fork of the Big Sandy River from 1863 to 1891. The Hatfields of West Virginia were led by William Anderson "Devil Anse" Hatfield, while the McCoys of Kentucky were under the leadership of Randolph "Ole Ran'l" McCoy. Those involved in the feud were descended from Joseph Hatfield and William McCoy. The feud has entered the American folklore lexicon as a metonym for any bitterly feuding rival parties.
The Hatfield clan in 1897
A section of the flood wall along the Tug Fork in Matewan, West Virginia, constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, depicts the Hatfield–McCoy feud.
The Hatfield–McCoy feud is featured in a musical comedy dinner show in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
Hatfield–McCoy production (July 2012)
The Tug Fork is a tributary of the Big Sandy River, 159 miles (256 km) long, in southwestern West Virginia, southwestern Virginia, and eastern Kentucky in the United States. Via the Big Sandy and Ohio rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River.
Tug Fork seen southeast of Matewan, West Virginia