The legend of the Varmint

As tall tales grow, so does their folklore, and the “Varmint” of Burke’s Garden is no exception.

According to local historians, the first encounter with the Varmint traces back to February 1952, when a Tazewell farmer awoke to find six lambs dead in the early morning snowfall. After this initial discovery, livestock deaths were reported across the area nearly every night.

While losing a few livestock to predators is nothing new to farmers, the sheer number of losses, in such a short span of time, gave birth to a local legend. The infamous Varmint of Burke’s Garden killed over 400 sheep in its year-long reign of terror, costing local farmers about $23,000.

For nearly a year, the predator’s identity was unknown, although locals speculated that it could be a dog, cat, wolf or wolverine. Based on scarce sightings, some even suggested it was a baboon or kangaroo.

In 1953, the Board of Supervisors of Tazewell County contacted two of the best big game hunters in the United States at the time, Clell and Dale Lee. While Dale was out of the country traveling, Clell Lee packed up his gear and headed from his home in Arizona, to Tazewell, Virginia.

Upon his arrival, Lee identified a track left by the Varmint in a block of ice as a coyote track, though none had been seen in the area in recent memory. With the Sheriff, local farmers, hunters and game wardens, Lee and his dogs found the scent and tracked it for five hours until nightfall. 

The following morning, Lee set out to search again but was discouraged by the Sheriff due to local traditions surrounding hunting on Sundays. But Lee was excited about finding the scent, and in a hurry to rid the locals of the varmint, especially since it had struck again the night before, killing two sheep.

Arriving on the scene, Lee stationed hunters near the site of the attack and ordered his dogs to track the scent. In the end, it was a Burke’s Garden resident, Alfred Jones who killed the coyote in the Joe Moss Cemetery after an hours-long chase.

The Varmint, the first coyote to be seen in Tazewell County, measured nearly five feet and weighed 35 pounds. Its fangs were an inch long. Residents rejoiced as news of the Varmint’s demise spread throughout the community and a dinner was held in Clell Lee’s honor.

The Varmint was initially strung up in the local schoolyard where more than 3,000 people came to see the dead animal. Later, it was hung from a tree near the Tazewell County Courthouse, attracting 7,500 more visitors. 

Nearly 70 years after the Varmint’s capture, visitors and locals can still see the Varmint, which has been stuffed and is permanently on display at the Crab Orchard Museum in Tazewell, Virginia.