Trinity River (Texas)

Trinity River
Trinity River, Dallas, Texas (postcard, c. 1901–1907)
Country	United States
Basin features
Main source	North Texas, near the Red River
River mouth	Trinity Bay, at Chambers County, Texas 0 ft (0 m)
Basin size	15,589 sq mi (40,380 km2)
Physical characteristics
Length	710 miles (1,140 km)
Discharge	Average rate: 6,368 cu ft/s (180.3 m3/s)

The Trinity River is a 710-mile-long (1,140 km) river in Texas, and is the longest river with a watershed entirely within the U.S. state of Texas. It rises in extreme northern Texas, a few miles south of the Red River. The headwaters are separated by the high bluffs on the southern side of the Red River.

Robert Cavelier de La Salle, in 1687, called the stream the "River of Canoes". The name "Trinity" came three years later in 1690 from Alonso de León, who called the stream the "La Santísima Trinidad" ("the Most Holy Trinity").

The Trinity River has four branches: the West Fork, the Clear Fork, the Elm Fork, and the East Fork.

The West Fork Trinity River has its headwaters in Archer County. From there it flows southeast, through the man-made reservoirs Lake Bridgeport and Eagle Mountain Lake then flowing eastward through Lake Worth and then the city of Fort Worth.

The Clear Fork Trinity River begins north of Weatherford, Texas and flows southeastward through Lake Weatherford and Benbrook Lake reservoirs, and then northeastward, where it joins the West Fork near downtown Fort Worth and continues as the West Fork.

The Elm Fork Trinity River flows south from near Gainesville through Ray Roberts Lake and east of the city of Denton eventually through Lewisville Lake.

The West Fork and the Elm Fork merge as they enter the city of Dallas and form the Trinity River.