Who Was Wanted Dead or Alive at Atlanta State Park?
Atlanta State Park in Texas has a colorful past. Located near Atlanta, Texas and a short way away from the Arkansas border, the state park is on the Wright Patman Lake.
The Wright Patman Lake was created between 1948 to 1953 to control the Sulphur River and provide water to Texarkana (Texas and Arkansas) and the communities are the area. But before that, travelers had to cross the Sulphur River. In the 1880’s, Samuel Bobo had a Ferry in which locals and travelers could cross. The Sulphur River was wild and impossible to cross without a Ferry.
Cullen Baker would use the Bobo Ferry and hide along the Sulphur River to avoid the law. His nickname was “Swamp Fox of Sulphur”. I have more about him below but you can walk in Bobo’s and Baker’s footsteps on the Bobo’s Ferry Trail. It is only about a 1/2 mile long.
I walked along it for a bit but it had rain the night before and it was a bit slick. So, rather than break my ankle I turned around but it was neat. You can feel how this trail was created by wagons. It has some trees now since the wagons have not been used in a while!
The park has canoes rental for those that want to try the lake out. It is right across from the Bobo’s Ferry trail.
They also have a swimming area. But know that they have had alligators in the lake so ensure that you are in the swimming area if you are going swimming and watch for them. The swimming area is a bit low in this picture as Texas in going through a bit of a drought at the moment.
The park also has lots of birdhouses to attract the birds that come up or stop by during the season. But the best part of the park is the Hickory Hollow Nature Trail which is under a mile long.
The trail is a bit up and down but so wonderful to be on with all the green trees! The smell is great. Plus they have lots of sign with different items of trees and plants labeled with information about them.
It has a bit of a creek down the trail. It had rained the day before so it had a bit of water in it.
I love finding mushrooms on my hikes!
But the views of the lake which is found throughout the park is the real view!
The camping is in the wooden area not along the lake but it is a very nice camping area with wonderful bathroom. But then Texas State Parks are clean and well cared for.
In April, the state park here and those around here are booked. The Rodeo is in town. Check on the days and book early! I could only get one night because of the Rodeo.
The park also has a few other trails but as I was working my way towards the west and the cloud looked like they were going to dump. I did not take them. I really did not feel like getting wet and dirty that day.
Brief History
Cullen Baker, aka Swamp Fox of the Sulphur, was born in Tennessee in 1835 but his family moved to Texas as few years later. He was not a happy person but a bit of a bully. He ended up killing someone at age 19 and was on the run in Arkansas.
In 1861, he joined the Confederacy but deserted and was hiding again in the swamplands along the Sulphur River. Three years later, he joined the Union Army but killed a fellow soldier and once again hide in Arkansas.
It was here that he organized his “independent rangers”. He did not really care who he robbed or killed but he tried to label himself Robin Hood as he and his gang created problems throughout Northeast Texas and Western Arkansas. Ex-Confederates protected him from the federals authorities, more to tick off the North then because they wanted too.
At one point, the Federal Government had a $1,000 reward on his head. They did not care if it was attached to him or not. Things like killing three Union soldiers in a bar fight make sure that the Feds did not really like him. But he keep being one step ahead of them.
When the war ended in 1865, he returned to the area and operated a ferry with his wife, Martha Foster. She died a year later and he returned to being an outlaw with his gang. For the next few years, he and his gang targeted Federal Troops and their projects, former slaves, and FBI agents.
At age 33, the Swamp Fox was died. There is two version of what happened to him but both involve his former father in law, William Foster. One is that he was surrounded and gave up but the men who surrounded him shot him died including William Foster. The other story is that William Foster gave Baker a bottle of whisky and a plate of spare ribs laced with strychnine.
It kinda makes me thing that the Swamp Fox might have killed his wife or was at least responsible in some way for her death. Because if a father in law is part of the group hunting you down, then you must have really upset him.
Paper across the country announcing Cullen Bakers death. He is buried in the Jefferson’s Historic Oakwood Cemetery which is not far from the Park. Bloomburg also host the Cullen Baker Country Fair in November each year for the benefit of the Bloomburg Volunteer Fire Department.