| Fifties Frogs Magazine |
Vol 11 |
| Pg 3 |
Carrico’s Corner |
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Yule Tide in the Big Thicket Preface: Although this story has been told before in South Liberty County, Christmas stories about this area are rare—thus we think this story will never grow old in Liberty County.
The Christmas season has been celebrated in the Big Thicket region of southeast Texas for as long as civilized man has been there. Civilized man or individuals versed in the Christmas faith and the birth of Jesus began appearing in this region, according to most historians, in the late sixteen hundreds (with the Alonzo de Leon expedition). Prior to that time only red-men were there—men who were unaware of the legend of Jesus' birth and wise men bearing gifts. The Walkers family had left a prosperous farm in Tennessee when they headed west. They had left because of a feud with another Tennessee clan. With the two youngsters and the adults the family now numbered only seven. All the rest had been killed off over the years by the Perkins clan—the result of a blood feud that was so old that nobody could remember the cause. The two youngsters. Zack who was eight and Mary 5, had known frontier living from the day of their birth-so were not out of their element on this trek. Once the Walker wagon had crossed the Sabine River the vehicle ran into foliage and thickets so dense that it appeared a solid wall. Since the wagon could go no farther, the family decided to build their home there. The location was in an area very much like a rain forest; it was like living in a vast green cathedral with each direction you looked being a hue of green. Even the skyline was canopied over the living vegetation. The small opening where sun light filtered through the canopy produced a gala array of dancing light. This filtered light came down through hundreds of small openings and produced a hazy dream-like habitat for all who dwelled in the thicket. Other members of the family beside Zack and Mary, was the father and mother, John and Sara Walker and John’s old grandpa Sirus. Sirus had carried Perkin’s lead in his lower back for years. Although the old man was somewhat crippled, he was extremely alert and always carried his own load. According to the occasional travelers they met Walkers learned that settlements lay close by. The settlements were later named Kountze, Saratoga, Soul Lake, and Honey Island. A larger settlement. which would later become Beaumont lay some miles to the south, likewise, a place called Liberty was some miles to the south. This was a comfort to know, but the family seldom saw another human. The family was in great haste to complete their cabin before the cold weather set in. As the men raised the logged walls, the two youngsters and their mother collected moss. They mixed the moss with clay and chinked the cracks. This mixture, very soon became almost like cement and insured a cozy interior for their cabin. The youngsters also fashioned bricks from clay and laid them out to dry. With these bricks, John and old Sirus made the fireplace and cooking area.The roof was a brush arbor affair, topped with large palmetto leaves it turned the rain and kept the family dry temporarily; later, more permanent cypress shingles would replace the leaves when the family was not so pressed for time. [ top ]
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Sara and little Mary was already inspecting the open spaces around the cabin where vegetables would be planted come spring. The family had feasted royally every day since arriving in the Thicket. Table game was so abundant it could be shot most of the time without even leaving the clearing. Wild turkey, bear, hog, deer and squirrel were in such abundance that old Sirus, who had hunted over much of the country, could not believe his eyes. Winter suddenly came down with an artic blast. A cold rain became a constant companion and kept the thicket wet and dripping for weeks. The weather kept the Walkers inside except for the gathering of essentials such as food, fuel, and water. Conversation around the fire turned to Christmas, and how the family would celebrate the blessed event. The youngsters were in tears. In this isolated world of green, Santa never would be able to find them. The guide star could not be seen through this constant over cast, So Santa would pass the by. In that year, on Christmas Eve, the old legend of "Yule- Tide In The Big Thicket" was born. It seemed the tears of children provided the impetus needed. The characters from all the old Thicket legends combined their efforts for a miraculous miracle. First the Ghost Light from Bragge Road came dancing through the thickets and provided a beacon light over the Walker homestead. Following this beacon there came a host of strange and wondrous creatures. Black bear, wild hog, coon, possum, squirrel, deer and even the Mayhaw Monster—all gathered together by the hundreds around the Walker cabin. Joining their voices those of the children, they sang the old Christmas songs with such gusto==the thickets were vibrating for miles around with the joyous sound. Tears of happiness ran down the faces of young Zack and Mary. Those tears were reflected like diamonds in ghost glow provided by the Bragg Road Light and although the old legends have dimmed with the passage of time –the spark is alive! Yule-Tide is alive and doing well in the Big Thicket…—anonymous
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