Hatfield-McCoy Airboat Tours, up and running, also give passengers close-up looks at blue herons, kingfishers, mallards, Canada geese, turtles, beaver and other wildlife occupying the river, along with a goat that favors a rocky pillar towering over the stream.

The Matewan Legacy

A historic starting point...

Our tour begins in Matewan, West Virginia, a small town nestled in the Tug River Valley, rich in it’s history of coal mining and ties to it’s past through the legacy’s of the infamous Hatfield’s & McCoy’s and the Matewan Massacre.

Matewan has been a smelting pot of peoples and ideas over the years. It saw the birth of the coal industry and it’s unions, and the death of many local citizens because of them. It’s past is not pretty, but it reflects the sprit of the American people and the cultures that brought this country where it is today.

The Feud

Although there have been many family feuds over the history of the United States that have been longer and bloodier, none have captured the imagination of the American people as the Hatfield & McCoy Feud. This was mostly due to the burgeoning American press, who sent reporters in to talk to the families, take photographs, and sensationalize the whole affair.

Many locals feel that the Hatfield & McCoy Feud was actually a result of the Civil War. Anderson Hatfield, known as “Devil Anse” fought for the Confederacy, and Randall McCoy fought for the Union.