The Conejos River is a tributary of the
Rio Grande, approximately long,
[U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data]
The National Map
, accessed March 31, 2011 in south-central
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...
in the United States. It drains a scenic area of the eastern
San Juan Mountains
The San Juan Mountains is a high and rugged mountain range in the Rocky Mountains in southwestern Colorado and northwestern New Mexico. The area is highly mineralized (the Colorado Mineral Belt) and figured in the gold and silver mining industry ...
west of the
San Luis Valley.
Description
It rises from snowmelt along the
continental divide west of
Conejos Peak in western
Conejos County, approximately northeast of
Pagosa Springs
The Town of Pagosa Springs ( Ute language: Pagwöösa, Navajo language: Tó Sido Háálį́) is a home rule municipality that is the county seat, the most populous community, and the only incorporated municipality in Archuleta County, Colorado ...
. It flows briefly northeast, through
Platoro Reservoir, then southeast through the
Rio Grande National Forest
Rio Grande National Forest is a 1.86 million-acre (7,530 km²) U.S. National Forest located in southwestern Colorado. The forest encompasses the San Luis Valley, which is the world's largest agricultural alpine valley, as well as one of the ...
, then east along the
New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Tiguex
, OfficialLang = None
, Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ke ...
border through a scenic canyon. It enters the southwestern corner of the San Luis Valley from the west near
Conejos and joins the Rio Grande from the west approximately 15 mi (24 km) southeast of
Alamosa
Alamosa is a home rule municipality and the county seat of Alamosa County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 9,806 at the 2020 United States Census. The city is the commercial center of the San Luis Valley in south-central Colora ...
. It is impounded at Platoro Reservoir for
flood
A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...
control and to manage
irrigation
Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has been devel ...
in the San Luis Valley, as part of the
San Luis Valley Project of the
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.
The river is wide and shallow along much of its course. It descends steeply in several areas, including at Pinnacle Canyon, a popular destination for
whitewater rafting
Rafting and whitewater rafting are recreational outdoor activities which use an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other body of water. This is often done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water. Dealing with risk is often a ...
.
Off limits to white settlement during the
New Spain years, the river was the site of early land grants to settlers from the government of
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
in the 1830s. The first settlement of 50 families along the river, in the
Guadalupe Grant in 1833, was destroyed in an attack by
Native Americans.
José Jacques established the first white settlement on the river in 1851. The town of Conejos was founded in the 1854 by
Lafayette Head
Lafayette Head (April 9, 1825 – March 8, 1897) was the first Lieutenant Governor of Colorado, serving from 1876 to 1879 under Governor John Long Routt.
Early life and family
Lafayette Head was born at Head's Fort, Howard County, Missour ...
, who later became the first lieutenant governor of Colorado.
See also
*
List of Colorado rivers
*
List of tributaries of the Rio Grande
Tributaries and sub-tributaries are hierarchically listed in order from the mouth of the Rio Grande upstream. Major dams and reservoir lakes are also noted.
* San Juan River, or Rio San Juan (Tamaulipas, Nuevo León, Coahuila)
** Marte R. Góme ...
References
External links
USGR: San Luis Valley Project
{{authority control
Tributaries of the Rio Grande
Rivers of Colorado
Rivers of Conejos County, Colorado
San Juan Mountains (Colorado)
San Luis Valley of Colorado