| Nueces River Río de las Nueces | |
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 Nueces River watershed | |
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| Native name | Chotilapacquen (Coahuilteco) |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Edwards Plateau |
| Source confluence | Hackberry Hollow |
| • location | Edwards County, Texas |
| • coordinates | 29°55′46″N100°00′31″W / 29.92944°N 100.00861°W /29.92944; -100.00861 |
| Mouth | Corpus Christi Bay |
• location | Nueces County, Texas |
• coordinates | 27°50′16″N97°29′22″W / 27.83778°N 97.48944°W /27.83778; -97.48944 |
| Length | 315 mi (507 km) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Northwest Corpus Christi, TX |
TheNueces River (/njuˈeɪsɪs/new-AY-siss;Spanish:Río Nueces,IPA:[ˈri.oˈnweses]) is a river in theU.S. state ofTexas, about 315 miles (507 km) long.[1] It drains a region in central and southern Texas southeastward into theGulf of Mexico. It is the southernmost major river in Texas northeast of theRio Grande.Nueces is Spanish fornuts, specifically pecans;[2] early settlers named the river after the numerouspecan trees along its banks.
The Nueces rises northwest ofSan Antonio in theEdwards Plateau, inReal County, roughly 50 mi (80 km) north ofUvalde. It flows south through theTexas Hill Country, pastBarksdale andCrystal City, approaching to within 35 mi (56 km) of the Rio Grande on the border withMexico. East ofCarrizo Springs, it turns to the east, flowing through the scrub plains of South Texas, across ruralDimmit,La Salle, andMcMullen Counties. In centralLive Oak County, it is joined from the northwest at Three Rivers by the Atascosa River andFrio River, then flows southeast along thecoastal plain pastMathis where it is impounded to form theLake Corpus Christi reservoir. It entersCorpus Christi Bay on the Gulf of Mexico atCorpus Christi.
Called Chotilapacquen byCoahuiltecan-speaking groups, the river was named "Nueces" byAlonso de León referring to the abundantpecan tree groves. One of the first settlers to scout the area was Cpt.Blas María de la Garza Falcón in 1766.[3] From before the end of theTexas Revolution, Mexico recognized that the Nueces River was historically the border between its states ofCoahuila y Tejas andTamaulipas. However, theRepublic of Texas claimed the Rio Grande as its border with Mexico, citing theTreaty of Velasco signed by Mexican PresidentSanta Anna, who had agreed to the Rio Grande border within Texas after having lost theBattle of San Jacinto. This contention continued after theannexation of Texas by the United States, and was one of the causes of theMexican–American War. TheTreaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the dispute, with Mexico—while under American occupation—recognizing the Rio Grande as its northern border.
Since the early 1800s, there have been rumors of lost Spanish mines in the vicinity of the Nueces River. These claims are based on the presence of two missions established in the region during the mid-1700s: San Lorenzo de la Santa Cruz and Nuestra Senora de la Candelaria, the latter of which was located near the present-day ghost town of Montell.[4]
On August 10, 1862, pro-Union Germans from theTexas Hill Country trying to flee to Mexico were ambushed and killed by Confederates—theNueces massacre.
The Nueces is one of several clear, warm-water spring creeks in the Hill Country of Texas.[5] In its upper reaches, the water is clear and cool.
Unlike spring trout creeks in the Rocky Mountains, the Nueces holdslargemouth bass,smallmouth bass, and the nativeGuadalupe bass, along with a variety of panfish such asredbreast sunfish,rock bass,green sunfish, andRio Grande perch. TheAmerican alligator also inhabits the Nueces River.
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