The Sulphur River is a
river
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of ...
in northeast
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
and southwest
Arkansas
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...
in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
.
Geography
The Sulphur River begins at the confluence of its north and south forks forming (following earlier meanders) the northern and southern boundaries of, and meeting at the eastern end of,
Delta County (Texas). This is about northeast of the town of
Sulphur Bluff, northeast of
Dallas
Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...
, and downstream (air miles) along the south fork from the
Cooper Lake dam.
The river flows generally eastward through several Texas counties and provides most of the water for
Wright Patman Lake
Wright Patman Lake is a reservoir in northeast Texas in the United States. The lake is a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reservoir formed on the Sulphur River in Bowie and Cass counties by Wright Patman Dam. The reservoir provides flood contr ...
, on the border between
Bowie and
Cass counties. Below
Wright Patman Dam, the river continues its generally eastward flow to the Arkansas state line. The river flows southeastward through
Miller County in southwestern Arkansas for until it joins the southbound
Red River east of
Doddridge, a few miles north of the
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is bord ...
border.
Recreation
The Sulphur River provides numerous opportunities for fishing, boating, and other activities.
Above Wright Patman Lake, the river has enough water for recreation most of the time. The flow is slow, and the river is murky, largely due to
channelization upstream. Below Wright Patman Dam, the river flow depends on the amount of water being released from the dam; however, water quality is usually good.
Wright Patman Lake provides additional opportunities for camping, boating, swimming, and fishing.
See also
*
List of rivers of Texas
*
Sulphur Springs, Texas
References
External links
Sulphur River Basin AuthorityTexas Parks and Wildlife Department: An Analysis of Texas Waterways*
{{Waters of Texas
Rivers of Arkansas
Rivers of Texas
Tributaries of the Red River of the South
Bodies of water of Miller County, Arkansas