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Big Bend National ParkCastolon compound, 1930s
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Big Bend National Park
Rivers and Streams
Canyon of the Rio Grande

NPS/Big Bend National Park

Canyon along the Rio Grande.

The Rio Grande is the defining feature of the Big Bend. It is here that the river swings abruptly to the northeast after flowing south and southeast for nearly 1,000 miles.

In the desert life clings to water, and it is along the Rio Grande and intermittant streams that wildlife is often found. Both humans and animals are attracted to and depend on the limited water of the Rio Grande.

Cavalry troops in the Big Bend  

Did You Know?
A reporter who accompanied a 1916 military expedition into Big Bend region of Texas described the area in the following terms, "The country isn't bad. It's just worse. Worse the moment you set foot from the train, and then, after that, just worser and worser."
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Last Updated: August 16, 2006 at 16:38 EST