12/06/2024
The Brazos River, originally named Río de los Brazos de Dios by early Spanish explorers, is the 14th-longest river in the United States, stretching 1,280 miles (2,060 km) from its headwaters at Blackwater Draw in Roosevelt County, New Mexico, to its mouth at the Gulf of Mexico.
It has a vast drainage basin covering 45,000 square miles (116,000 km²). As one of the largest rivers in Texas, the Brazos is often considered a natural dividing line between East and West Texas.
The river plays a significant role in Texas history, especially during the Austin settlement and the Texas Revolution. Today, the Brazos River basin is home to major Texas institutions like Texas Tech University, Baylor University, and Texas A&M University, as well as parts of the Houston metropolitan area.
