D riving north on state Route 56 as you enter Jackson County, Tennessee, the road winds through lush, green hills, past a few homes, an abandoned auto shop, and the Country Cabin Quik Market before reaching a large billboard. Pull forward into the parking lot of Fatboy’s Barbie-Q, where sweet, vinegary clouds puff from a large smoker, and you can read one side of the sign: “God bless Jackson County! We’re proud to call it home!” The words “land,” “liberty,” and “legacy” frame a deer-head logo above a company name: RidgeRunner. On the other side, there’s a different message: “Small...