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24-673: The Clear Fork Brazos River is the longest tributary of the Brazos River of Texas . It originates as a dry channel or draw in Scurry County about 2 mi (3.2 km) northeast of Hermleigh and runs for about 180 mi (290 km) through portions of Scurry , Fisher , Jones , Shackelford , and Throckmorton counties before joining the main stem of the Brazos River in Young County about 7.8 mi (12.6 km) south-southeast of Graham, Texas. A tributary of

48-591: A regular basis before a piecemeal levee system was replaced, notably in 1913 when a massive flood affected the course of the river. The river is primarily important today as a source of water for power, irrigation, and recreation. The water is administered by the Brazos River Authority . The 2000 book, Sandbars and Sternwheelers: Steam Navigation on the Brazos by Pamela A. Puryear and Nath Winfield, Jr., with introduction by J. Milton Nance , examines

72-700: Is an unincorporated community along the Brazos River in Washington County, Texas , United States. The town is best known for being the site of the Convention of 1836 and the signing of the Texas Declaration of Independence . The town is named for Washington, Georgia , itself named for George Washington . It is officially known as just "Washington," but after the Civil War came to be known as "Washington-on-the-Brazos" to distinguish

96-616: Is considered to be state-owned public property. Fishing, camping, and picnicking are legal here, including on the sandbars. The river and its three lakes are popular spots for avid anglers and boat enthusiasts due to the diverse ecosystems in the water and convenient marinas nearby such as The Cliffs Marina . Several scout camps are located along the Brazos River, and they support a wide range of water and shoreline activities for scouts, youth groups, and family groups. The Brazos River Authority maintains several public campsites along

120-431: Is located on Farm to Market Road 912 off Texas State Highway 105 , 18 mi (29 km) east of Brenham and 10 mi (16 km) west of Navasota in the upper northeastern corner of Washington County. It is near the intersection of the Brazos and Navasota rivers. The first school in the community may have been established by the wife of John Hall in 1837. In 1841, local Masonic Lodge created its own school, and

144-457: The Gulf of Mexico in the marshes just south of Freeport . The main stem of the Brazos is dammed in three places, all north of Waco, forming Possum Kingdom Lake , Lake Granbury , and Lake Whitney . Of these three, Granbury was the last to be completed, in 1969. When its construction was proposed in the mid-1950s, John Graves wrote the book Goodbye to a River . The Whitney Dam, located on

168-650: The Southern United States , in what was then Mexican Texas . Because of its location on the Brazos River and near major roads, Washington became a commercial center, drawing in new inhabitants from nearby areas. After the outbreak of the Texas Revolution , General Sam Houston made his headquarters at Washington in December 1835. Washington-on-the-Brazos is known as "the birthplace of Texas" because, on March 1, 1836, Texas delegates met in

192-694: The 20th century, it was virtually abandoned. The Washington American, an organ of the American (Know Nothing) party , was published there in 1855 and 1856. The town is home to the Washington-on-the-Brazos Historical Site , which has three main attractions: The Star of the Republic Museum (a museum about the Texas Republic), a replica of Independence Hall (where the Texas Declaration of Independence

216-492: The Brazos. In 1822, the lower river valley of the Brazos River became one of the major Anglo-American settlement sites in Texas. This was one of the first English-speaking colonies along the Brazos and was founded by Stephen F. Austin at San Felipe de Austin. In 1836, Texas declared independence from Mexico at Washington-on-the-Brazos , a settlement in now Washington County that is known as "the birthplace of Texas". Brazos River

240-597: The Clear Fork Brazos River is Paint Creek , which is dammed to form Lake Stamford . This article related to a river in Texas is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Brazos River The river is closely associated with Texas history, particularly the Austin settlement and Texas Revolution eras. Today major Texas institutions such as Texas Tech University , Baylor University , and Texas A&M University are located close to

264-481: The early vessels that attempted to navigate the Brazos. On June 2, 2016, the rising of the river required evacuations for portions of Brazoria County . The Brazos River watershed covers a total area of 46,013 sq mi (119,174 km ). Within the watershed lie 42 lakes and rivers, which have a combined storage capacity of 2.5 million acre-feet. The Brazos watershed also has an estimated groundwater availability of 119,275 acre-feet per year. Around 31% of

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288-536: The first water to be found by desperately thirsty parties. In 1842, Indian commissioner of Texas, Ethan Stroud established a trading post on this river. The river was important for navigation before and after the American Civil War , and steamboats sailed as far up the river as Washington-on-the-Brazos . While attempts to improve commercial navigation on the river continued, railroads proved more reliable. The Brazos River also flooded, often seriously, on

312-571: The land use within the watershed is cropland, and roughly 61% is grassland (30%), shrubland (19.8%), and forest (11%), while urban use only makes up 4.6%. The population density within the watershed is 50.5 people/sq mi (19.5/km ). The main water-quality issues within the Brazos watershed are high nutrient loads, high bacterial and salinity levels, and low dissolved oxygen. These issues can be attributed to livestock waste, fertilizer, and chemical run offs. Sources of run off are croplands, pastures, and industrial sites, among others. The watershed receiving

336-1241: The main river near Graham . Important tributaries of the Lower Brazos include the Paluxy River , the Bosque River , the Little River , Yegua Creek , the Nolan River , the Leon River , the San Gabriel River , the Lampasas River , and the Navasota River . Initially running east towards Dallas - Fort Worth , the Brazos turns south, passing through Waco and the Baylor University campus, further south to near Calvert, Texas , then past Bryan and College Station , then through Richmond, Texas , in Fort Bend County , and empties into

360-408: The most toxic pollution is the lower Brazos river, which received 33.4 million pounds of toxic waste in 2012. Canoeing is a very popular recreational activity on the Brazos River, with many locations favorable for launching and recovery. The best paddling can be found immediately below Possum Kingdom Lake and Lake Granbury. Sandbar camping is also permitted, since the entire streambed of the river

384-590: The residents of Washington, to escape the advancing Mexican Army . The townspeople returned after the Mexican Army was defeated at San Jacinto on April 21. Town leaders lobbied for Washington's designation as the permanent capital of the Republic of Texas, but leaders of the Republic favored Waterloo, later renamed Austin . Washington County was established by the legislature of the Republic of Texas in 1836 and organized in 1837, when Washington-on-the-Brazos

408-418: The river and at the lakes. Hunting is also permitted at select locations along the river. Fishing is permitted on all of the river, subject to regulations. Outdoor enthusiasts have the opportunity to view the area's scenery and the wildlife on the river. Fly fishing and river fishing for largemouth bass are common. Washington-on-the-Brazos, Texas#cite note-Historic-2 Washington-on-the-Brazos

432-732: The river's basin, as are parts of metropolitan Houston. The Brazos proper begins at the confluence of the Salt Fork and Double Mountain Fork , two tributaries of the Upper Brazos that rise on the high plains of the Llano Estacado , flowing 840 miles (1,350 km) southeast through the center of Texas. Another major tributary of the Upper Brazos is the Clear Fork Brazos River , which passes by Abilene and joins

456-530: The settlement from "Washington-on-the- Potomac ," Washington, D.C. . Washington was founded in 1833 by John W. Hall, one of the Old Three Hundred settlers, on land he had been given two years before by his father-in-law Andrew Robinson. It was located at a ferry crossing over the Brazos River on the La Bahia Road that dated from 1821. As the town grew, most settlers were immigrants from

480-443: The town to formally announce Texas' intention to separate from Mexico and to draft a constitution for the new Republic of Texas . They organized an interim government to serve until a permanent one could be formed. The delegates adopted the Texas Declaration of Independence on March 2, 1836, signing it on the following day. They adopted their constitution on March 16. The delegates worked until March 17, when they had to flee with

504-491: The upper Brazos, provides hydroelectric power, flood control, and irrigation to enable efficient cotton growth in the river valley. A small municipal dam (Lake Brazos Dam) is near the downstream city limit of Waco at the end of the Baylor campus; it raises the level of the river through the city to form a town lake. This impoundment of the Brazos through Waco is locally called Lake Brazos. Nineteen major reservoirs are located along

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528-659: Was also the scene of a battle between the Texas Navy and Mexican Navy during the Texas Revolution . Texas Navy ship Independence was defeated by one Mexican vessel. When it was first named by European explorers is unclear, since it was often confused with the Colorado River not far to the south, but it was certainly seen by René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle . Later Spanish accounts call it Los Brazos de Dios (the arms of God), for which name several different explanations were given, all involving it being

552-405: Was designated as the county seat. Although the county seat moved to Brenham in 1844, the town continued to thrive as a center for the cotton trade until the mid-1850s, as it was located on the Brazos River to use for shipping out the crop. The construction of railroads bypassed the town and pulled off its businesses. The strife of the Civil War took another toll on the town, and by the turn of

576-564: Was signed), and Barrington Plantation (home of last Texas Republic President Anson Jones ). In 1899, the local schools created a monument to Independence Hall. The town is also home to Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church, founded in 1849 as the oldest Black Catholic church in Texas. Washington Avenue in Houston is named for Washington-on-the-Brazos and is the western route to Washington County. Washington-on-the-Brazos

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