The rio grande river

The Rio Grande Del Norte is best known as the Rio Grande River. This vast river is about 1,800 miles long and is the fifth longest river in the United States. Beginning in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado, it flows south and southeasterly to the Gulf of Mexico. This river provides the United States and Mexico with a natural made border of more than 1,200 miles to separate the two countries.

With its beginnings at more than 12,000 feet above sea level in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado, this is a snow-fed river. Its flow continues 175 miles through Colorado, 470 miles across New Mexico and 1,250 miles between the Texas and Mexico boarders. This river flows through several colonized communities including Albuquerque, Juarez, El Paso, Laredo, Guadalupe, Chihuahua, Monterey and Brownsville. In the early stages of the river, there are mostly forests of spruce, fir and aspen along the river. These forests inhabit a vast variety of wildlife as well. Many different species of birds, reptiles, insects and mammals can be found along the river. As the elevation decreases, the river flows through steep canyons such as the Rio Grande Gorge and the White Rock Canyon in Northern New Mexico. Some of the canyons carved out by this river are more than 1,500 feet deep. The deepest is probably along the Big Bend in Texas. Here, the river takes a steep northeasterly turn and flows for more than 118 miles along the Texas and Mexican boarder. This bend in the river is where the name “Big Bend” is derived. Canyons in the Big Bend can reach 1,700 feet in depth. Towards the end of the river, it flows through rolling plains and empties in Brownsville, Texas at the Gulf of Mexico.

In 1519, an expedition was sent out from Europe to survey the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. The Spaniards unknowingly discovered the river three separate times and gave it three different names. A Spanish Cartographer compiled a map in 1536 that details the river and gives it the name El Rio Bravo Del Norte. El Rio Bravo Del Norte is the Spanish pronunciation of the Rio Grande.

Before the Spaniards arrived, and even into prehistoric times, the Rio Grande was used for irrigation purposes. The Pueblo Indians of New Mexico were very well known for their use of the river. As time passed and the population increased, water treaties were necessary between Mexico and the United States to provide agreements upon shared use of the water in the various basins. Depending where you are, there may be little to no surface flow. At some points in the river, there is barely an inch or less depth of water whereas in other sections the depth can reach 60 feet. These treaties split the water basins up equally between the countries.

In 1853, the first maps were made to signify the boundaries the Rio Grande kept. The Mexican commissioner directed the survey of the river and others represented by the United States. With the great forces of the river, boundaries change often. Just in the last century, the United States was forced to return El Chamizal back to Mexico due to a major hurricane that swept through the region in the 1850s. The river went through an accelerated erosion process and boundaries changed. The United States and Mexico spend much time and money on this never-ending problem.

The Rio Grande provides water for more than 2 million acres of cropland in the various regions it flows through. In Colorado, the main crops are potatoes and alfalfa. In New Mexico the river provides water for crops such as cotton, pecans and grapes and in Texas and Mexican regions the river irrigates cotton and vegetables and some citrus fruits. The Rio Grande river is no longer a natural flowing river. With all of the dams and diversion networks, water is controlled sufficiently. Before water even reaches El Paso, Texas so much of it has been diverted that much of the riverbeds lay dry. Major irrigation projects are now set up in New Mexico at Elephant Butte and Caballo reservoirs. The basins produce huge amounts of hydroelectricity.

Other industries of the Rio Grande River include mining and recreational activities. The river provides natural gas, petroleum, ore, silver, lead, gold and coal. Rafting, fishing and hunting are among some of the recreational activities found along the river.

The climate varies from one end of the river to the other. Depending on where you are and what season it is, temperatures can be extremely cold and arid in the upper reaches of the mountains to extremely warm and humid in the lower sections. No matter where you are, sunshine is abundant year round. Beginning in July and lasting through September, the monsoons make their way to the southwest and result in heavy thundershowers and an abundance of rainfall.

Because of the size of the Rio Grande River, many people are able to enjoy and take advantage of the rivers natural resources and beauty. It truly is a marvel centered smack dab in the middle of the desert lands.