Purgatoire River facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Purgatoire River |
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The Purgatoire River has cut a canyon through the Great Plains.
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| Physical characteristics | |
| Main source | Confluence of North Fork and Middle Fork 37°09′26″N 104°56′27″W / 37.15722°N 104.94083°W |
| River mouth | Confluence with Arkansas 3,862 ft (1,177 m) 38°03′54″N 103°10′37″W / 38.06500°N 103.17694°W |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Arkansas—Mississippi |
| Basin size | 3,447 sq mi (8,930 km2) |
The Purgatoire River is a river located in southeastern Colorado, United States. People in the area also call it the Purgatory River or the Picketwire River. The name Purgatoire comes from French and means Purgatory. French trappers gave the river this name long ago. They named it to remember Spanish explorers who died in an attack by Native Americans.
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About the Purgatoire River
The Purgatoire River starts where two smaller rivers meet. These are the North Fork Purgatoire and the Middle Fork Purgatoire rivers. This meeting point is near Weston in Las Animas County, Colorado.
The river then flows mostly towards the east-northeast for about 196 miles (315 km). It eventually joins the Arkansas River in John Martin Reservoir State Park. This park is close to Las Animas in Bent County, Colorado.
River Basin and Area
The Purgatoire River collects water from a large area called a river basin. This basin covers about 3,447 square miles (8,928 square kilometers). Most of this area, about 96.4 percent, is in Colorado. The remaining 3.6 percent of the basin is located in New Mexico.
Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site
A large military training area, the Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site, is located along the western side of the Purgatoire River. The U.S. Army had plans to make this training area even bigger. However, many local groups and citizens were against this expansion. On November 25, 2013, the U.S. Army announced that they had canceled their plans to expand the site.
The Purgatoire River in Movies
The Purgatoire River is sometimes called the Picketwire River in movies. This name is a way English-speaking settlers changed the French pronunciation. It's like a "folk etymology," where people change a word to make it sound more familiar.
For example, the river is often called the Picketwire River in the movie The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962). It is also mentioned once in the film True Grit (2010). The Purgatoire River is also mentioned in the 2017 Netflix miniseries Godless.
See also
In Spanish: Río Purgatorio para niños
