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Briscoe
County Creeks, Lakes, and Rivers
ANTELOPE CREEK
ANTELOPE CREEK Antelope Creek rises east of Silverton in east central Briscoe County (at 34°32' N, 100°59' W) and flows northeast for seven miles to its mouth on the Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River in Hall County (at 34°38' N, 100°56' W). The surrounding area, once a part of the Shoe Bar Ranch, is now the site of Antelope Flat, a sparse ranching community. The creek crosses an area of flat to gently sloping terrain and shallow to moderately deep soils over limy earth. The vegetation consists mainly of mesquite and grasses.
BLACKTAIL CREEK Blacktail Creek rises at the breaks of the Llano Estacado in northwestern Briscoe County (at 34°41' N, 101°21' W) and flows north for four miles to its mouth on the Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River, near the northern county line (at 34°44' N, 101°20' W). The creek was once part of the Tule division of the JA Ranch, and most of it still lies within the ranch's boundaries. The stream crosses terrain surfaced by silt loams that support mesquite and grasses.
BARRELL CREEK Barrell Creek heads in the
breaks at the edge of the Llano Estacado in east central
Briscoe County (at 34°29' N, 101°08' W) and flows north
for about nine miles to its mouth on the Prairie Dog Town
Fork of the Red River (at 34°37' N, 101°05' W). Part of
the land near the creek's upper waters, ten miles east of
Silverton, was once known as Barrel Creek Ranch. The
creek crosses terrain surfaced by shallow to moderately
deep silt loams. The vegetation consists primarily of
mesquite and grasses. Battle Creek rises at the breaks of the Llano Estacado south of Paloduro and the JA Ranch headquarters in southeastern Armstrong County (at 34°48' N, 101°12' W) and flows southeast for twenty miles, across the sloping mesquite plains of northern Briscoe County, before emptying into the Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River near the boundary between Briscoe and Hall counties (at 34°38' N, 100°57' W). The stream is so named because it was the site of a battle at Palo Duro Canyon on August 30, 1874, when troops under Col. Nelson A. Miles fought off an attack by about 500 Cheyenne warriors. Most of the action, which lasted five hours, occurred at the head of the creek (see palo duro canyon, battle of, and red river war).
BIG SANDY CREEK Big Sandy Creek rises in two
main branches that meet five miles south of Clarendon in
southwestern Donley County (at 34°53' N, 100°54' W).
The stream flows southwest for twelve miles to its mouth
on Mulberry Creek, in the northeastern corner of Briscoe
County (at 34°43' N, 100°05' W). Sandy Camp, one of the
JA Ranch's twelve winter camps, was located near this
stream. Big Sandy Creek flows through an area of
moderately steep slopes with locally high relief and a
surface of deep silt loams that support mesquite and
grasses. Bluff Creek rises in eastern Briscoe County (at 34°27' N, 101°01' W) and runs east for five miles to its mouth on the Little Red River, where that stream intersects with the western line of Hall County (at 34°30' N, 100°56' W). The streambed is on the former JA and Quitaque (Lazy F) ranches and is still the site of ranching activities. Burson Lake, a small reservoir on Bluff Creek, has concessions and other lake-resort facilities. The creek crosses terrain surfaced by silt loams that support mesquite and grasses.
Bull Run Creek rises in Palo
Duro Canyon, at the edge of the Llano Estacado in
southern Armstrong County (at 34°51' N, 101°15' W), and
runs southwest for eight miles, across the JA Ranch, to
its mouth on the Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River,
just south of the Briscoe county line (at 34°45' N,
101°17' W). It traverses sloping mesquite plains with
loamy soils. Campbell Creek rises south of the JA Ranch headquarters in southern Armstrong County (at 34°48' N, 101°12' W) and runs southwest for 5½ miles through sloping loamy plains of mesquite brush to its mouth, on the Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River just across the county line in northern Briscoe County (at 34°44' N, 101°16' W). The creek was named for the brothers W. A. (Jud), T. J. (Jeff), and L. M. Campbell, who were outstanding JA employees during the ranch's early years. One of the JA's twelve winter camps was located near the mouth of Campbell Creek.
Cherokee Creek rises in east
central Briscoe County (at 34°31' N, 101°03' W) and
runs north twelve miles to its mouth on the Prairie Dog
Town Fork of the Red River (at 34°37' N, 101°00' W). It
was on the JA Ranch properties and gave its name to
Cherokee Camp, one of the ranch's twelve winter line
camps. The creek crosses variable terrain surfaced by
shallow to moderately deep silt loams that support
mesquite and grasses. Deer Creek rises at the breaks
of the Llano Estacado in northwestern Briscoe County (at
34°43' N, 101°24' W) and runs northeast three miles to
join the Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River in
Armstrong County (at 34°46' N, 101°21' W). The creek
was in the old Tule division of the JA Ranch and is still
partly within the JA properties. It crosses variable
terrain surfaced by shallow to moderately deep silt loams
that support primarily mesquite and grasses. Gypsum Creek, also known as Gip
Creek, rises in the breaks of southern Armstrong County
(at 34°53' N, 101°18' W) and runs south for seven miles
to its mouth on the Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red
River, near the Briscoe county line (at 34°45' N,
101°18' W). The area terrain is broken by moderately
steep slopes with locally high relief. Soils in the
vicinity are made up of shallow to moderately deep silt
loams that support rangeland grasses and mesquite. The
creek remains part of the JA Ranch. Hackberry Creek rises in
northern Briscoe County (at 34°44' N, 101°10' W) and
runs southeast for nine miles to its mouth on the Prairie
Dog Town Fork of the Red River (at 34°37' N, 101°01'
W). Near the creek's headwaters is the site of the old
Woodburn Camp, one of twelve winter camps on the JA
Ranch. The creek traverses an area of moderately steep
slopes with locally high relief, surfaced by shallow to
moderately deep silt loam soils that support mesquite and
grasses. The Little Red River, an
intermittent stream, begins at the confluence of its
north and south prongs (at 34°27' N, 101°03' W) in the
breaks of the Llano Estacado in southeastern Briscoe
County. It runs northeast for thirty miles to its mouth
(at 34°34' N, 100°36' W) on the Prairie Dog Town Fork
of the Red River in central Hall County. The creek
traverses flood-prone flat terrain with local shallow
depressions. The local clayey and sandy loam soils
support water-tolerant hardwoods, conifers, and grasses.
The creek was formerly part of the old Quitaque (Lazy F)
Ranch owned by Charles Goodnight. Lone Tree Creek rises north of
the JA Ranch in southeastern Armstrong County (at 34°50'
N, 101°11' W) and runs southeast for six miles across
part of Donley County to its mouth on Battle Creek, in
northeastern Briscoe County (at 34°49' N, 101°02' W).
It remains within the JA Ranch boundaries, in an area
characterized by gently rolling terrain with shallow
loamy soils. The vegetation consists primarily of
mesquite and grasses. Los Lingos Creek, also known as
Linguist Creek, rises in southeastern Briscoe County (at
34°24' N, 101°14' W) and flows southeast for ten miles
to its mouth on Quitaque Creek, in northwestern Motley
County (at 34°18' N, 101°02' W). The terrain through
which this creek passes ranges from flat to gently
sloping. Shallow to moderately deep silt loams support
mesquite and grasses along its banks. It was formerly
part of the old Quitaque (Lazy F) Ranch owned by Charles
Goodnight. Lost Mule creek rises in
eastern Briscoe County (at 34°25' N, 101°01' W) and
flows northeast five miles to its mouth on the Little Red
River, near the Briscoe-Hall county line (at 34°29' N,
100°56' W). The terrain is flat to gently sloping and
surfaced by shallow to moderately deep silt loams that
support mesquite and grasses. The creek was formerly part
of the old Quitaque (Lazy F) Ranch owned by Charles
Goodnight. Mexican Creek rises near State
Highway 256 at the breaks of the Llano Estacado in south
central Briscoe County (at 34°29' N, 101°08' W).
Entirely within the JA Ranch, it flows northeast twelve
miles to it mouth on the Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red
River (at 34°37' N, 101°00' W). A small reservoir and
dam are located on its upper waters near the highway. The
creek flows through an area of moderately steep slopes
with locally high relief, shallow to moderate silt loams,
and a cover of mesquite and grasses. Mulberry Creek rises seven
miles west of Claude and near Fairview in northwestern
Armstrong County (at 35°07' N, 101°37' W) and runs
southeast for fifty-eight miles through southwestern
Donley and northeastern Briscoe counties before reaching
its mouth (at 34°37' N, 100°54' W) on the Prairie Dog
Town Fork of the Red River in northwestern Hall County.
The terrain near the source of the creek is flat to
gently sloping with local escarpments. The soil is made
up of sandy loams, and the vegetation consists primarily
of grasses and scrub brush. Nearer the mouth the terrain
is flat with local shallow depressions, and
water-tolerant hardwoods grow by the stream banks. Much
of the creek remains within the boundaries of the JA
Ranch, which once encompassed almost its entire drainage
area. The Mulberry Ranch is on the creek eight miles
southeast of Claude. Pilgrim Creek rises (at 34°46'
N, 101°12' W) in southern Armstrong County and runs
southwest for four miles to its mouth (at 34°43' N,
101°16' W) on the Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River
in northern Briscoe County. It traverses terrain of
moderately steep slopes with locally high relief. The
soil is made up of shallow to moderately deep silt loams,
and the vegetation consists primarily of grasses and
mesquite. The creek flows through the JA Ranch holdings. Rock Draw, the bed of an
intermittent stream called Rock Creek, rises near State
Highway 86 in western Briscoe County (at 34°27' N,
101°27' W) and flows north eight miles to join Tule
Creek just east of Mackenzie Reservoir (at 34°33' N,
101°26' W). It runs through an area of steeply to
moderately sloping hills surfaced by shallow, stony clay
and sandy loam soils that support oak, mesquite, and
grasses. The draw is on land formerly part of the JA
Ranch's Tule Division. Tule Creek rises in three main
branches, North, Middle, and South Tule draws. The two
longer headstreams, the North and Middle draws, rise in
northeastern Castro County and flow eastward parallel to
each other for twenty-six miles to unite in the gently
rolling rangeland of central Swisher County three miles
east of Tulia (at 34°33' N, 101°42' W). South Tule draw
rises near Nazareth in Castro County and flows east to
the main stream. In eastern Swisher County the sandy
streambed drops into Tule Canyon, cut into the edge of
the Llano Estacado, and continues until the canyon merges
with Palo Duro Canyon and the creek merges with the
Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River in north central
Briscoe County (at 34°41' N, 101°14' W). Tule Canyon,
which is noted for the beauty of its colorful walls and
for the unusual formations carved by centuries of
erosion, has been identified as one of the canyons seen
by Francisco Vázquez de Coronado in 1541-42, and as one
crossed by the Texan Santa Fe Expedition in 1841. In
September 1874 Col. Ranald S. Mackenzie and his Fourth
United States Cavalry camped at the head of the canyon
just prior to his decisive victory over the hostile
Indians in Palo Duro Canyon on September 28. Back at the
Tule Canyon campsite the next day, Mackenzie's troops
slaughtered the captured herd of over 1,000 horses. The
vast bonepile was for years a Panhandle landmark and gave
rise to a legend of phantom horses in the canyon on
moonlit nights. During the early 1970s the Mackenzie Dam
and Reservoir was constructed on Tule Creek in western
Briscoe County; the reservoir extends slightly into
Swisher County. The Prairie Dog Town Fork, the
main tributary of the Red River, rises at the junction of
Palo Duro and Tierra Blanca creeks in central Randall
County, northeast of Canyon (at 35°00' N, 101°56' W).
It flows 160 miles southeastward through the Palo Duro
Canyon, across southwestern Armstrong and northeastern
Briscoe counties, and out of the canyon and eastward
across the broken country of central Hall and Childress
counties, to its confluence with the North Fork of the
Red River, twelve miles northeast of Vernon (at 34°24'
N, 99°32' W); there the Red River proper begins. When
the Prairie Dog Town Fork crosses the 100th meridian at
the eastern line of Childress County, its south bank
becomes the state boundary between Texas and Oklahoma and
the northern county line of Hardeman and Wilbarger
counties. The Red River is in the
Mississippi drainage basin and is one of two Red Rivers
in the nation. It is the second longest river associated
with Texas. Its name comes from its color, which in turn
comes from the fact that the river carries large
quantities of red soil in flood periods. The river has a
high salt content. The Spanish called the stream Río
Rojo, among other names. It was also known in frontier
times as the Red River of Natchitoches and the Red River
of the Cadodacho (the Caddo Indians). Randolph B. Marcy
and George B. McClellan identified the Prairie Dog Town
Fork as the river's main stream in 1852. If one accepts
their judgment the total length of the Red River is 1,360
miles, of which 640 miles is in Texas or along the Texas
boundary. The drainage area of the river in Texas is
30,700 square miles. In 1944 Denison Dam was completed on
the Red River to form Lake Texoma, which extends into
Grayson and Cooke counties, Texas, and Marshall, Johnson,
Bryan, and Love counties, Oklahoma, and was once the
tenth-largest reservoir in the United States. Principal
tributaries of the Red River, exclusive of its various
forks, include the Pease and Wichita rivers in north
central Texas, the Sulphur River in Northeast Texas, and,
from Oklahoma, the Washita. The Ouachita is the main
tributary in its lower course.
(information from The
Handbook of Texas Online --
This page was last updated August 16, 2000. |
