Devil's Sinkhole State Natural Area, just 6 miles northeast of Rocksprings, is a national landmark.  It is home to one of Texas' largest colonies of Mexican free-tailed bats and two endangered species.  During summer months, tours to view the sinkhole from its opening and to watch the incredible evening bat flight are scheduled regularly.

The Devil's Sinkhole was first discovered by pioneer Ammon Billings, who came to Edwards County on May 1, 1876 from Kerr County.  He brought his wife, brother, brother-in-law and other members of the family and settled five miles above Hackberry.  A little different from other pioneers who brought cattle to this area, Mr. Billings brought 333 hogs.

Billings, along with others, was ranging the hogs near the yet to be discovered sinkhole when he came upon Indians while scouting along the old government road which came from Camp Wood.   Young Billings fired at the Indians and they fell.  He started to rush up, but an uncle and a Captain Wells in his party advised that the disappearance of the Indians might be a trick.   The men came back the next day, found blood on the ground, and while scouting the area, came upon the cavern on highway 41.   Billings' widow, in an interview with the Houston Chronicle in 1948, recalled how her husband came rushing home to tell of his discovery one evening in mid-June of 1876.  The next day, according to the story, Billings bought 300 feet of heavy rope and 300 feet of kid rope and then persuaded a man named Dick to go down in the hole for $15.00.   Billings drove his wagon as near to the hole as his horses would go, then the men shoved the wagon nearer to tie the rope to in order to lower the adventurer into the hole.  Shortly after Dick began his descent into the abyss, the rope caught on a sharp rock and began to saw itself in two.  Billings lowered the kid rope to get the man out.     In 1880, Ed Bell, one of the old trail drivers, and some other ranchers moved from Mason County to the Frio river section.  It was a day's drive with the cattle from the South Llano to the Devil's Sinkhole.  Here the men camped for the night.  Watt Greenwell, one of the 14 men in the crew who made these drives from time to time, would go down into the hole on a rope to get drinking water from the underground river, as this was the only available water hole they could reach in the day's drive.     Mr. Greenwell never minded going into the hole, and often provoked the men on top by wandering off exploring the cavern.  From the Devil's Sinkhole, the stockmen would drive on to the head of the main Nueces, by-passing Hackberry because they could not get off the divide at this place.   Through the years as men began to promote the natural wonders of the State of Texas, the Devil's Sinkhole caught their imagination with its sunken mountain 256 feet lower than the natural terrain, the lake room 400 feet underground, fairyland room with unusual formations, and the flight of 8,000,000 bats.   A company tried to take guano out of the hole in the early 30's and constructed wooden ladders down from the over-hang.  This operation failed because the principal bat colonies couldn't be found.   On July 15, 1949, 2,000 people attended a barbecue at the Devil's Sinkhole in celebration of the new road built to the place through the efforts of the Chamber of Commerce and Commissioners Court.   A full-lengh movie in color was made of the Devil's Sinkhole in 1947 by Fred Foster of Hunt.  This movie had its premiere showing in Rocksprings.  A private showing of the movie took place in Rocksprings in November of 1982 when Steve Foster of San Antonio, son of Fred Foster, ran the movie for an expedition of approximately 28 explorers from around the state.   The purpose of the expedition was to explore the linear dimensions of the cave and substantiate existing reports about the natural phenomenon.   The Devil's Sinkhole is located on the ranch owned by Mrs. Clarence Whitworth.