In the years following the Civil War, along this section of the Harrisonburg Road on the border of Grant Parish and Winn Parish, the West Kimbrell Clan, known as the Nightriders, robbed and murdered travelers. The Harrisonburg Road had been a wagon trail in the 1800s connecting the Natchez Trace to the El Camino Real. By day, the Nightriders were regarded as upstanding citizens in their local community, a reputation that helped conceal their identity as mass murderers who preyed on victims after dark. On Easter Sunday, 1870, a vigilante mob hunted down the outlaws and executed them by firing squad, including their leader, John West. Afterwards, several wells were discovered along the Harrisonburg Road containing the remains of many of their victims.