The Brazos River, originally called, the Rio Brazos de Dios which can be translated as "The River of God's Arms". is the 11th longest river in the United States at 2060 km (1280 miles) from its source of Blackwater Draw, Curry County, New Mexico^[1] to its mouth at the Gulf of Mexico with a 116,000 km² (44,800 sq mi) drainage basin.^[2] Image File history File links Brazos_watershed. ... [[ == Headline text == This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Curry County is a county located in the state of New Mexico. ... Nile River delta, as seen from Earth orbit. ... Gulf of Mexico in 3D perspective. ... A drainage basin is the area within the drainage basin divide (yellow outline), and drains the surface runoff and river discharge (blue lines) of a contiguous area. ...

The Brazos proper begins at the confluence of its Salt Fork and Double Mountain Fork (which rises west of Lubbock and passes through the city) flowing 840 miles through the middle of Texas. Its main tributaries are the Clear Fork of the Brazos, which passes by Abilene and joins the main river near Graham; Bosque River; Little River; Yegua Creek; and Navasota River. Initially running east towards Dallas-Fort Worth, the Brazos turns south, passing through Waco, then by Bryan-College Station, then through Sugar Land, and into the Gulf of Mexico in the marshes just south of Freeport.^[2] Nickname: Hub City Location within the state of Texas Coordinates: County Lubbock County Government  - Mayor David Miller Area  - City 297. ... Official language(s) English (de facto) See also languages of Texas Capital Austin Largest city Houston Area  Ranked 2nd  - Total 261,797 sq mi (261,797 km²)  - Width 773 miles (1,244 km)  - Length 790 miles (1,270 km)  - % water 2. ... Nickname: The Friendly Frontier Location within the state of Texas County Taylor County  - Mayor Norm Archibald Area    - City 286. ... Graham is a city in Young County, Texas, USA. The population was 8,716 at the 2000 census. ... The Bosque River is a river in Texas fed by four primary branches. ... The Little River is a river in the U.S. state of Texas. ... Nickname: Big D Location in the state of Texas Country United States State Texas Counties Dallas, Collin, Denton, Kaufman, and Rockwall Incorporated 2 February 1856  - Mayor Laura Miller Area    - City  385. ... Nickname: Cowtown, Panther City Motto: Where the West Begins Location in the state of Texas Coordinates: Country United States State Texas Counties Tarrant and Denton  - Mayor Michael J. Moncrief Area    - City  298. ... Waco is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas. ... Bryan is a city in Brazos County, Texas, United States. ... City nicknames: Aggieland, heart of the Research Valley Location in the State of Texas County Brazos County Mayor Ron Silvia Area  - Land  - Water 104. ... City nickname: The Land of Sugar City slogan: Sugar Land. ... Gulf of Mexico in 3D perspective. ... Freshwater marsh in Florida In geography, a marsh is a type of wetland, featuring grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, cat tails, and other herbaceous plants (possibly with low-growing woody plants) in a context of shallow water. ... Freeport is a city located in Brazoria County, Texas and is situated in East Texas. ...

The Brazos is dammed in three places, all north of Waco, forming Possum Kingdom Lake, Lake Granbury and Lake Whitney. Of these three, Granbury was the last to be completed, in 1969, and its proposed construction in the mid-1950s became the impetus for John Graves' book, Goodbye to a River. There is also a small municipal dam (Lake Brazos Dam) near the downstream city limit of Waco, which raises the level of the river through the city to form a town-lake. This impoundment of the Brazos through Waco is locally called Lake Brazos.[1] There are 19 major reservoirs along the Brazos.^[3] Possum Kingdom Lake (popularly known as P.K.) is a 20,000 acre (81 km²) lake on the Brazos River in Palo Pinto County Texas, USA known for its clear blue waters. ... Lake Granbury is a fresh-water man-made North Texas Lake in Granbury, Texas. ... Lake Whitney Lake Whitney is one of the only three reservoirs created off the Brazos River in the state of Texas. ... Johnny Graves was an Australian rugby league player, a star of the late 1940s and early 1950s for the South Sydney Rabbitohs and for the Australian national representative side. ... Goodbye to a River is a book by author John Graves, published in 1960. ... Waco may refer to multiple places in the United States of America: Waco, Georgia Waco, Kentucky Waco, Missouri Waco, Nebraska Waco, North Carolina Waco, Texas Waco may also refer to: a dialect of the Wichita language Siege of Waco, a 1993 confrontation between U.S. federal agents and the Branch... The Brazos River is the longest river in Texas, running 1360 km (840 mi) from the center of the state to the Gulf of Mexico. ... Waco may refer to multiple places in the United States of America: Waco, Georgia Waco, Kentucky Waco, Missouri Waco, Nebraska Waco, North Carolina Waco, Texas Waco may also refer to: a dialect of the Wichita language Siege of Waco, a 1993 confrontation between U.S. federal agents and the Branch...

It is unclear when it was first named by European explorers, since it was often confused with the Colorado River not far to the south, but it was certainly seen by La Salle. Later Spanish accounts call it Los Brazos de Dios (the arms of God), for which name there were several different explanations, all involving it being the first water to be found by desperately thirsty parties. The Colorado River as it winds through the Austin area. ... Engraving of Cavelier de La Salle René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, or Robert de LaSalle (November 24, 1643 – March 19, 1687) was a French explorer. ...

While the river was important for navigation before the American Civil War, it is primarily important today as a source of water for power and irrigation. The water is administered by the Brazos River Authority. This article is becoming very long. ... The Brazos River Authority was created in 1929 by the Texas Legislature as a quasi-governmental entity to manage the Brazos River as a water resource in Texas. ...

See also

• List of Texas rivers
• Stonewall County
• USS Brazos (AO-4) — a fleet oiler built in 1919.

. ... Stonewall County is a county located in the state of Texas. ... USS Brazos (AO-4) was launched 1 May 1919 by Boston Navy Yard; sponsored by Miss Catherine Rush; and commissioned 1 October 1919, Commander R. Werner, USNRF, in command. ... An oiler is a ship, also called a tanker, that can carry a liquid cargo of petroleum, or a naval support vessel that carries fuel to other naval ships steaming at sea, and can transfer the fuel during underway RAS improved fleet operations reliability, availabiltiy and serviceability. ...

External links

• Brazos River from the Handbook of Texas Online
• Map View of the Brazos
• Historic photos of Army Corps of Engineers lock and dam projects on the Brazos River, 1910-20s, from the Portal to Texas History
• See an 1858 map Preliminary chart of entrance to Brazos River, Texas / from a trigonometrical survey under the direction of A. Bache ; triangulation by J.S. Williams ; topography by J.M. Wampler ; hydrography by the parties under the command of E.J. De Haven & J.K. Duer., hosted by the Portal to Texas History.
• Brazos River Authority

• http://www.arrowheadatlakewhitney.com
• http://www.lakewhitneyresorts.com

The Handbook of Texas (ISBN 0-87611-151-7) is a comprehensive encyclopedia of Texas geography, history, and historical persons published jointly by the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) and the General Libraries at the University of Texas at Austin. ...

References