Where is pecos river

Elsewhere along the course of the river, however, the diversion and impoundment of its water has radically altered its appearance in Texas. Early-day travelers described the river as generally sixty-five to a hundred feet wide and seven to ten feet deep, with a fast current.

It was fordable at only a few places, the most famous of which was the Horsehead Crossing. Irrigation from the upper section of the Pecos between Girvin in northeastern Pecos County and the New Mexico boundary began in Appreciable development of irrigation in this area, however, did not come until after Completion of the Red Bluff Reservoir in Reeves and Loving counties, forty-five miles north of Pecos and a hydroelectric power plant in made possible the creation of water-improvement districts in the lower valley.

By the mids there were more than , acres under irrigation, using both surface and underground water; crops produced in the Pecos valley included cotton, alfalfa, forage, grain sorghums, vegetables, and fruits, especially cantaloupes.

By that time the river was usually a small, shallow, narrow stream with a sluggish current; it was bordered by desert shrubs. Except during floods, its flow for a considerable distance downstream from the Red Bluff Reservoir consisted principally of releases and some reservoir seepage.

Gall, Texas, in , and Fort Lancaster was built near the river in Except for settlement around the fort, the earliest Anglo settlement in Texas on the river was Pecos, founded in when the Texas and Pacific Railway crossed West Texas. Texas Crafts Quilts.

Chuck Wagon Texas Bob Eats. These and many other tales added to the mystique of the Pecos River. The first highway bridge to span the river was built about one mile downriver from the present bridge in Just 50 feet above water, the bridge was destroyed by floodwaters in and two temporary low water bridges were built in and These were also later destroyed by floodwaters.

A new 1, feet long bridge was completed here in At feet above the river, it is the highest highway bridge in Texas. Near here, a Medal of Honor Fight took place in In the s the U. Army relied on the Black Seminole Scouts in campaigns against raiding tribes along the Mexican border. In April , Lieutenant John L. After four days they found a fresh trail and on April 25th, within a mile of the present bridge, they engaged a party of about 30 Comanche Indians with dozens of horses.

In , a group of settlers drew up plans for an irrigation canal on the Pecos, to irrigate crops in the semi-arid Pecos Valley. A series of hastily built dams and canals began to appear, and soon orchards and farms dotted the valley. Supported by trestles, the foot flume carried eight feet of water south through the main canal, crossing over a bend in the Pecos.