The Navidad River is a -long coastal river in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

that runs roughly parallel to its sister river, the

Lavaca River The Lavaca River ( ) is a navigable river in the U.S. state of Texas. It begins in the northeastern part of Gonzales County, and travels generally southeast for until it empties into Lavaca Bay, which is a component of Matagorda Bay. History T ...

. It is not spring fed, and all of its volume is runoff, which eventually provides for much of the water in

Lake Texana Lake Texana is a reservoir on the Navidad River, east of Edna, in Jackson County, Texas. The reservoir is formed by the construction of Palmetto Bend Dam. The dam and lake are managed by the Lavaca-Navidad River Authority, and supply water t ...

Course

The river begins with two primary branches. The East Navidad River begins in southern Fayette County and runs southeast until it reaches Colorado County. The West Navidad River also begins in Fayette County and wanders south for 23 miles to its confluence with the East Navidad near

Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...

, where they become the Navidad River. The town of Schulenburg is centered between the two branches, which are both somewhat seasonal, and navigation can be difficult due to low water levels and obstructions. The river then winds south, passing the small communities of Sublime, Speaks, and

Morales Morales is a Spanish surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Alfredo Morales (born 1990), American footballer * Alvaro Morales (disambiguation), several people * Amado Morales (born 1947), Puerto Rican javelin thrower * Bartolomé Mo ...

and then feeding

about 7 miles east of Edna. Beyond the lake, the river continues south for a few miles and then reaches its mouth on the

Tributaries

Mustang Creek and Sandy Creek formerly emptied into the Navidad but now drain directly into Lake Texana.

Economy

The entire watershed and associated water resources are managed by the

Lavaca-Navidad River Authority The Lavaca-Navidad River Authority or LNRA was formed in August, 1941 by the Texas legislature. Its regulatory authority is authorized by Article 16, Section 59, of the Texas Constitution, codified in Vernon's Annotated Texas Civil Statutes as Ar ...

, which was established in 1941.

Fame

The Navidad River is best known for being the territory of the legendary Wild Man of the Navidad, which many believe to be the first

Bigfoot Bigfoot, also commonly referred to as Sasquatch, is a purported ape-like creature said to inhabit the forest of North America. Many dubious articles have been offered in attempts to prove the existence of Bigfoot, including anecdotal claims o ...

sightings in

. The creature was first widely reported in 1837 throughout the early settlements along the Navidad River bottoms, near the modern-day town of Sublime, in Lavaca County. The river's notoriety was increased even more after

IFC Films IFC Films is an American film production and distribution company based in New York. It is an offshoot of IFC owned by AMC Networks. It distributes mainly independent films under its own name, select foreign films and documentaries under its S ...

released the horror film titled ''

The Wild Man of the Navidad ''The Wild Man of the Navidad'' is a 2008 Bigfoot horror film written and directed by Duane Graves and Justin Meeks. It was picked up by IFC Films shortly after its world premiere at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival, and re-released in 2021 by MPI ...

'' in 2009. Although the movie was set in the real-life town of Sublime, it was actually shot south of the area in

Whitsett, Texas Founded in 1835 by John Houlihan through a Spanish land grant, Whitsett is an unincorporated community in northwestern Live Oak County, Texas, United States. It lies at the intersection of U.S. Route 281 and FM 99, along the Union Pacific Rail ...

.http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/story?oid=oid%3A674074 Beware: Bigfoot Ahead from

The Austin Chronicle ''The Austin Chronicle'' is an alternative weekly newspaper published every Thursday in Austin, Texas, United States. The paper is distributed through free news-stands, often at local eateries or coffee houses frequented by its targeted demogr ...

References

External links