Devil's Pocket
(Research from Bob Bowman's Special to the Journal)
This area of Newton County is north of Deweyville. The Pocket is a flat, pi-shaped area bounded by Nichol's Creek on the west and Slaydon Creek on the north. Both of these flow into the Sabine River. Often referred to as the Pocket of the Big Thicket, it was primarily known for being the home of brush-loving longhorn cattle and later as a hunting reserve.
The area is a maze of wild forest growth and swamps. The cattle that lived there became wild if they weren't already and cowboys in the early days worked the Pocket first because it was the hardest drive and "was the very devil to work."
There are several stories to explain the way the area got its name. The first is that a meteor smashed into the middle of the forest, landing with a terrible explosion that shook buildings miles away. It left a gaping hole about fifty feet across and thirty feet deep. Steam rose from the hole for weeks afterwards as the meteor cooled, leading a man to remark that "the devil came to see us." There is a deep depression in the forest with stagnant water and moccasins galore. Even today most people steer clear of the area.
Another explanation for the suggestive name was the fact that it became known as a haven for a myriad of unsavory characters and wanted criminals who took refuge in the area when lawmen came looking. In the late 1800's outlaws headed straight for the pocket knowing that posse's were reluctant to follow.
My own memories of the Pocket as a child were the stories of panthers roaming the forest. According to the old timers around the camp fires you could hear their cries late at night-sounding like the screams of a woman in pain.
Most of the population of the area lives on a looped road on the east end that circles an island of somewhat higher ground. The rest of the area is dominated by cottonwood, sweet gum trees, pine-hill bluestem, switch cane and sedge. Some say this is one of the last places the Ivory-billed Pileated Woodpecker was seen.
--Jonnie Miller