Texas Almanac, 1961-1962 Page: 81
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WATER RESOURCES-CONSERVATION 81
port, Brazoria County. Its annual runoff at
places along its lower channel exceeds
5,000,000 acre-feet.
The original name of this river was
Brazos de Dios, meaning "Arms of God."
There are several legends as to why it was
given this name. One is that the Coronado
expedition wandering on the trackless Llano
Estacado exhausted its water supply and
was threatened with death from thirst. Ar-
riving at the bank of the river they gave it
the name of Brazos de Dios in thankfulness
for the salvation of their lives. Another
story is that a ship at sea had exhausted its
water supply and its crew was saved when
they found the mouth of the Brazos and
sailed up stream to fresh water. Still another
story is that a colony of miners on the San
Saba were forced by drouth to seek water
and journeyed east until they came to the
river near present-day Waco and called it
Brazos de Dios in thankfulness. There is also
the theory that the early Spanish cartograph-
ers called the river "Arms of God" because
of the great spread of its tributaries.
Much of the early Anglo-American coloni-
zation of Texas took place in the Brazos
Valley. Along its channel were San Felipe de
Austin, capital of Austin's colony, Washing-
ton on the Brazos, place of the declaration
of Texas' independence, and other historic
settlements. There was some navigation of
the lower channel of the Brazos in this
period and there are plans today for navigat-
ing the lower stretches of the river. Near its
mouth it intersects the Gulf Intracoastal
Waterway which would give it connection
with the commerce on the Mississippi.
Most of the area of the Brazos Valley lies
within the Brazos Conservation and Recla-
mation District which conducts a multi-pur-
pose program for development of the stream.
Largest reservoir on the Brazos is Lake Whit-
ney (2,017,500 acre-feet capacity) on the
main channel where it is the boundary line
between Hill and Bosque Counties. Another
large reservoir is Lake Possum Kingdom in
Palo Pinto, Young and Jack Counties. Lake
Waco on the Bosque and Belton Reservoir
on the Leon are among the principal reser-
voirs on its tributaries. In addition to its
three upper forks, the Double Mountain, Salt
and Clear prongs of the Brazos, its chief
tributaries are the Paluxy, Little and Nava.-
sota Rivers.
SAN JACINTO RIVER
A short river with relatively small drain-
age basin and annual runoff, the San Jacinto
is one of the parallel rivers of the Texas
Basin, running directly to the Gulf through
Galveston Bay. It is formed by the junction
of its East and West Forks in the northeast-
ern part of Harris County. Its total length.
including the East Fork, is about 85 miles
and its drainage basin is 2,880 square miles.
There are two stories of the origin of its
name. One is that when early explorers dis-
covered it, its channel was choked with Hya-
cinth. The other is that it was discovered on
Aug. 17, St. Hyacinth's Day. Through the
lower course of the San Jacinto and its trib-
utary, Buffalo Bayou, runs the Houston Ship
Channel, connecting the Port of Houston with
the Gulf, Only two or three waterways in
America have heavier traffic. On the shore
of the San Jacinto was fought the Battle of
San Jacinto, April 21, 1836,. in which Texas
won its independence from Mexico. The San
Jacinto State Park and monument are on its
shores.
TRINITY RIVER
The Trinity rises in its East Fork, Elm
Fork, West Fork and Clear Fork in Grayson,
Montague, Archer and Parker Counties re-
spectively. The main stream begins with the
junction of the Elm and West Forks at Dal-las. Its length is 455 miles and its drainage
area, 17,600 square miles. This is less than
the length and drainage area of some other
Texas streams but, because of moderate to
heavy rainfall over its drainage area, it has
a flow of 5,395,000 acre-feet near its mouth
on the Gulf, exceeded only by the Red and
the Sabine in their lower courses.
The Trinity derives its name from the
Spanish "Trinidad". Alonso de Leon named
it La Santisima Trinidad (the Most Holy
Trinity) when he arrived on its banks during
his journey across Texas in 1689-90. There
was some settlement along its channel dur-
ing the era of colonization.
Navigation was developed along its lower
course with several river port towns, such
as Sebastopol, in Trinity County. In recent
years there has been a basin-wide movement
for navigation of the Trinity along with con-
servatlon and utilization of its water. The
Trinity River Authority is a state agency and
the Trinity River Association is a publicly
supported nonprofit organization advocating
its development. The Trinity is characterized
by having in its valley more population and
greater industrial development than can be
found in any other river basin in Texas. On
the Lower Coastal Plain there is large use
of its waters for rice irrigation. Largest res-
ervoir on the Trinity is Lake Dallas (Garza.
Little Elm; name changed 1960 to Lake
Lewisville). There are four reservoirs above
Fort Worth-Lakes Worth, Eagle Mountain
and Bridgeport on the West Fork and Lake
Benbrook on the Clear Fork. Lake Lavon in
Southeast Collin County is on the East Fork
and in 1960 preparations were being made to
construct a reservoir below Lavon near the
town of Forney. In 1959, Houston filed peti-
tion with the State Board of Water Engineers
for permission to build a huge reservoir on
the main channel of the Trinity near Living-
ston. This was protested by the Trinity River
Authority and some of the upstream com-
munities that thought that their water rights
might be endangered. Later the Trinity River
Authority and Houston reached a compro-
mise but objection came from the San Jacinto
River Authority and the case was before the
State Board of Water Engineers during the
longest hearing ever conducted by that
agency. The case was settled in mid-March,
1960, with the San Jacinto Authority with-
drawing its objections, allowing the City of
Houston and the Trinity River Authority to
go ahead with plans for the large reservoir
near Livingston and a smaller reservoir and
salt water barrier farther downstream.
NECHES RIVER
The Neches is an East Texas River with
total length of about 260 miles and drainage
area of 10,100 square miles. But, because of
abundant rainfall over its entire basin, its
flow near the Gulf is about 4,700.000 acre-feet
a year. The river takes its name from the
Neches Indians that the early Spanish ex-
plorers found living along its banks. Princi-
pal tributary of the Neches, and comparable
with the Neches in length and flow above
their confluence, is the Angelina River, so
named from Angelina (Little Angel), Hainai
Indian girl who, converted to Christianity.
played an important role in the early devel-
opment of this region.
Both the Neches and the Angelina run
most of their courses in the Piney Woods and
there was much settlement along them as
early as the 1820's. A number of good dam
sites exist on each of these rivers and the
McGee Bend project was being developed on
the Angelina in 1960. A site near the town of
Rockland on the Neches has been under
consideration for a number of years.
SABINE RIVER
From its source in Eastern Collin County
to its mouth on Sabine Lake, arm of the Gulf,
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Texas Almanac, 1961-1962, book, 1961; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth117140/m1/83/: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.