Rattlesnake Island Alligator

[Rattlesnake Gal]

Originally Posted by Jeanzb1

Speaking of alligators, when you are on the west side of the lake, say, over near Ames Farm, and when you can see the entirety of Rattlesnake Island, we think it looks totally like an alligator, and not a rattlesnake!!! The southern end of the island is a long, flat snout -- a couple of bumps in the middle -- and then a long, flat tail at the northern end!

Many of us think the very same thing.

Way back in time, the island was supposedly quite populated with Timber Rattlesnakes, which is how the island got it's name. There were accounts of people often seeing these reptiles sunning themselves along the shore. History books tell us that the island was razed at one point in time to get rid of the snakes, which of course didn't work as they can slither deep into the rocky crevices and stay protected.

I recently met a long time islander who related the story, which he was told from Mr. Robert's of Robert's Cove, who is no longer with us and lived to be 90 something, that Razorback Hogs were brought to the island for a few years to get rid of the rattlesnakes. This certainly could be true because I found this copy of Boy's Life, which describes how Razorback Hogs take heavy toll on snakes, and does not hesitate to attack the larges Diamondback Rattlesnake.