The Mayeye were a Tonkawa –speaking Native American people , who once lived in southeastern Texas. Coastal Mayeyes likely were absorbed into Karankawa communities. Inland Mayeyes likely joined larger Tonkawa communities.
19-676: Their name was also written as Macheye, Maheye, Maiece, Maieye, Malleye, Maye, Meghay, and Muleye. The Mayeye lived in the Rancheria Grande along the Brazos River in what is today eastern Texas. In the 1830s some Mayeye were among the Native Americans living at Mission San Antonio de Valero . At least some of the Mayeye at that location returned to the Brazos River region, against the will of
38-577: 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
57-555: 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
76-453: 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
95-511: The 1760s. In the 1770s some of the Mayeye moved to the coast and joined with the Coco people , a Karankawa tribe. As late as 1805 Mayeye were reported at the mouth of the Guadalupe River ; however, after this time they appear to have been absorbed into other Tonkawa groups, merged with the coastal Karankawa groups or been Hispanacized in the missions. The linguist Andrée F. Sjoberg argued that
114-488: 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
133-626: The Mayeye were the same as the Yakwal, a coastal band of Tonkawa. Brazos River The Brazos River ( / ˈ b r æ z ə s / BRAZ -əs , Spanish: [ˈbɾasos] ), called the Río de los Brazos de Dios (translated as "The River of the Arms of God") by early Spanish explorers, is the 14th-longest river in the United States at 1,280 miles (2,060 km) from its headwater source at
152-565: The San Gabriel River missions in 1748. In 1749 there were 63 Mayeye in the mission. By no means was this all the Mayeye. The Marques de Rubi counted several times this many Mayeye on his tour of Texas in 1766-1768. When the San Gabriel valley missions were abandoned in the early 1750s some of the Mayeye had moved back to Mission San Antonio de Valero, and there were people still identified as Mayeye at that location until at least some point in
171-481: 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
190-528: 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
209-593: The head of Blackwater Draw , Roosevelt County, New Mexico to its mouth at the Gulf of Mexico with a 45,000-square-mile (116,000 km ) drainage basin . Being one of the largest rivers in Texas, it is sometimes used to mark the boundary between East Texas and West Texas . 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
SECTION 10
#1732858812415228-571: 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
247-1167: 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
266-538: The missionaries at the mission. Although the baptized Mayeye did not like being so far from their non-mission relatives, they did see some advantages to the mission system. They along with the Yojuanes , Ervipiames , Deadoses , and Bidais sought a Spanish mission in their land to give them a military advantage against the Lipan Apaches in 1745. The Mayeye were among the most prominent and enthusiastic group to settle in
285-408: 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
304-409: 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. San Gabriel River (Texas) Too Many Requests If you report this error to
323-700: 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
342-487: 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
361-704: 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
#414585