The Guadalupe River (; ) runs from Kerr County, Texas, to San Antonio Bay on the Gulf Coast. It is a popular destination for rafting, fly fishing, and canoeing. Larger cities along it include Kerrville, New Braunfels, Seguin, Gonzales, Cuero, and Victoria. It has several dams along its length, the most notable of which, Canyon Dam, forms Canyon Lake northwest of New Braunfels.

The river, and the larger area around it known as Texas Hill Country, is prone to flash flooding. Its nickname is Flash Flood Alley.

Course

The upper part, in the Texas Hill Country, is a small, fast stream with limestone banks, shaded by pecan and bald cypress trees. It is formed by the convergence of the North and South Fork Guadalupe. It is popular for tubing; users often float down it on inflated tire inner tubes during the spring and summer. East of Boerne, on the border of Kendall County and Comal County, it flows through Guadalupe River State Park, one of the more popular tubing areas along it.

The lower part begins at the outlet of Canyon Lake, near New Braunfels. The section between Canyon Dam and New Braunfels is the most heavily used for recreation. It is a popular destination for whitewater rafters, canoeists, kayakers, and tubers. When the water is flowing at less than there can be hundreds if not thousands of tubes on this stretch. At flows greater than , there are very few tubes on the water. Flows greater than and less than are ideal for rafting and paddling. The flow is controlled by Canyon Dam, and by the amount of rainfall the area has received. It is joined by the Comal River in New Braunfels and the San Marcos River about two miles (3 km) west of Gonzales. The part below the San Marcos River, as well as the latter, is part of the course for the Texas Water Safari.

The San Antonio River flows into it just north of Tivoli. Ahead of the entry into the San Antonio Bay estuary, it forms a delta and splits into two distributaries, the North and South parts, which both flow into the San Antonio Bay estuary at Guadalupe Bay.

<gallery widths="200">

File:The Guadalupe River in Kerr County, Texas, USA (8 May 2014).jpg|In Kerr County

Image:Guadalupe River in Gruene, TX IMG_5522.JPG|In Gruene

File:Guadalupe River Texas.jpg|Near Hunt

File:Guadalupe River of Texas IMG_0500.JPG|Under Interstate 35 in New Braunfels

File:Mouth of Guadalupe River.jpg|Mouth of the South Guadalupe River at Guadalupe Bay

</gallery>

History

The river was named after Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe by Alonso de León in 1689. It was renamed the San Augustin by Domingo Terán de los Ríos who maintained a colony on it, but the name Guadalupe persisted. Many explorers referred to the current Guadalupe as the San Ybón above its confluence with the Comal, and instead the Comal was called the Guadalupe. Evidence indicates that it has been home to humans for several thousand years, including the Karankawa, Tonkawa, and Huaco (pronounced like Waco) Indians.

Being led by Prince Solms, 228 pioneer immigrants from Germany traveled overland from Indianola to the site chosen to be the first German settlement in Texas, New Braunfels. Upon reaching the river, the pioneers found it too high to cross due to the winter rains. Prince Solms, perhaps wishing to impress the others with his bravado, plunged into the raging waters and crossed the swollen river on horseback. Not to be outdone by anyone, Betty Holekamp immediately followed and successfully crossed the river.

Flash floods

The river is prone to flash floods due to a combination of topography, geology, and climate. The greater area, Texas Hill Country, is known as flash flood alley. According to the Washington Post, it "is the most flash-flood prone region in the country".

1978

July 1978, tropical storm Amelia made landfall and moved inland, stalling over the headwaters of the Medina and Guadalupe rivers. 33 people drowned in the flooding. Several parents of the children descended on Comfort, most staying at a makeshift shelter set up by town residents and the American Red Cross at the Comfort Elementary School. Six more bodies were recovered from the river on July 18, identified as Lagenia Keenum, 15; Michael Lane, 16; Michael O'Neal, 16; Cindy Sewell, 16; Christopher Sewell, 13; and Stacey Smith, 16 (sister of Tonya Smith). The following day, the ninth and final body was recovered from the river, identified as 14-year-old Leslie Gossett. The body of 17-year-old John Bankston Jr., the oldest of the 10 victims, was never found.

In the summer of 1988, near the edge of the river and at the foot of the driveway to the Pot O' Gold Ranch, a memorial plaque was dedicated to the children who died as well as those who survived. On April 18, 1989, the story of the deaths and rescues was shown as the pilot episode of Rescue 911, and in 1993 was made into a television movie called The Flood: Who Will Save Our Children? The film followed the experiences of some of the children and their families, and starred Joe Spano as Reverend Richard Koons.

2002

The river flooded in 2002 after the area received over of rain.

Points of interest

  • Riverside Nature Center, Kerrville, Texas

See also

  • Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority
  • List of rivers of Texas

References

  • Edwards Aquifer
  • Canyon Lake Chamber of Commerce
  • TPWD Palmetto State Park
  • TPWD Guadalupe State Park