History of Pocola

The Battle of Devil's Backbone took place nearby on September 1, 1863, and resulted in a victory for the Union Army.

A post office was established at Pocola, Indian Territory on February 15, 1881. The community took its name from the Choctaw word for the number ten, as the site was ten miles from Fort Smith, Arkansas. At the time of its founding, the settlement was located in Skullyville County, a part of the Moshulatubbee District of the Choctaw Nation.

Will Hartshorne began operating a small coal mine in this area during the 1880s. By 1895, he employed six men and sold the mine to the Fort Smith and Western Coal and Railway in the following year. The population of Pocola was estimated at 200 in 1900, but the number declined to about 75 in 1918. The post office closed in 1916.

The community did not incorporate until 1963, allowing it to gain water rights along the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System and to ensure that the area was not annexed by other Le Flore County communities. The town began annexing land, enlarging itself to about 30 square miles. By 1970, the population had grown to 1,840. In 1980, the census recorded 3,268 residents. A post office was reestablished in 1986.