Conejos River
Encyclopedia
The Conejos River is a tributary of the Rio Grande
, approximately 92.5 miles (148.9 km) long, in south-central Colorado
in the United States
. It drains a scenic area of the eastern San Juan Mountains
west of the San Luis Valley
.
west of Conejos Peak
in western Conejos County
, approximately 15 miles (24.1 km) northeast of Pagosa Springs
. It flows briefly northeast, through Platoro Reservoir, then southeast through the Rio Grande National Forest
, then east along the New Mexico
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
. It is impounded at Platoro Reservoir for flood
control and to manage irrigation
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.
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
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
, who later became the first lieutenant governor of Colorado.
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande is a river that flows from southwestern Colorado in the United States to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way it forms part of the Mexico – United States border. Its length varies as its course changes...
, approximately 92.5 miles (148.9 km) long, in south-central Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It drains a scenic area of the eastern San Juan Mountains
San Juan Mountains
The San Juan Mountains are a high and rugged mountain range in the Rocky Mountains in southwestern Colorado. The area is highly mineralized and figured in the gold and silver mining industry of early Colorado. Major towns, all old mining camps, include Creede, Lake City, Silverton, Ouray, and...
west of the San Luis Valley
San Luis Valley
The San Luis Valley is an extensive alpine valley in the U.S. states of Colorado and New Mexico covering approximately and sitting at an average elevation of above sea level. The valley sits atop the Rio Grande Rift and is drained to the south by the Rio Grande River, which rises in the San Juan...
.
Description
It rises from snowmelt along the continental divideContinental divide
A continental divide is a drainage divide on a continent such that the drainage basin on one side of the divide feeds into one ocean or sea, and the basin on the other side either feeds into a different ocean or sea, or else is endorheic, not connected to the open sea...
west of Conejos Peak
Conejos Peak
Conejos Peak is a mountain peak in the San Juan Mountains of southern Colorado....
in western Conejos County
Conejos County, Colorado
Conejos County is one of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado in the United States. The county population was 8,400 at U.S. Census 2000. The county seat is the unincorporated town of Conejos.-History:...
, approximately 15 miles (24.1 km) northeast of Pagosa Springs
Pagosa Springs, Colorado
Pagosa Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat of, and the only incorporated municipality in, Archuleta County, Colorado, United States. The population was 1,591 at the 2000 census...
. It flows briefly northeast, through Platoro Reservoir, then southeast through the Rio Grande National Forest
Rio Grande National Forest
Rio Grande National Forest is a 1.86 million acre 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 worlds largest high deserts located around mountains. The...
, then east along the New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
border through a scenic canyon. It enters the southwestern corner of the San Luis Valley from the west near Conejos
Conejos, Colorado
Conejos is a census-designated place, a U.S. Post Office, and the county seat of Conejos County, Colorado, United States. Conejos has the distinction of being the only unincorporated county seat in the State of Colorado. As of the 2010 Census, the CDP had a population of 58. The community is...
and joins the Rio Grande from the west approximately 15 mi (24 km) southeast of Alamosa
Alamosa, Colorado
The city of Alamosa is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Alamosa County, Colorado, United States. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the city population was 8,682 in 2005...
. It is impounded at Platoro Reservoir for flood
Flood
A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water...
control and to manage irrigation
Irrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
in the San Luis Valley, as part of the San Luis Valley Project of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
United States Bureau of Reclamation
The United States Bureau of Reclamation , and formerly the United States Reclamation Service , is an agency under the U.S...
.
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.
Off limits to white settlement during the New Spain
New Spain
New Spain, formally called the Viceroyalty of New Spain , was a viceroyalty of the Spanish colonial empire, comprising primarily territories in what was known then as 'América Septentrional' or North America. Its capital was Mexico City, formerly Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec Empire...
years, the river was the site of early land grants to settlers from the government of Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
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
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as 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
Lafayette Head was the first Lieutenant Governor of Colorado, serving from 1876 to 1879 under John Long Routt.Lafayette Head was born at Head’s Fort, Howard County, Missouri. His grandfather, William Head, was a Revolutionary War veteran and a pioneer settler of central Missouri, arriving about...
, who later became the first lieutenant governor of Colorado.