Gila River
The Gila River, a tributary of the Colorado, is shown highlighted on a map of the southwestern United States
Origin	Sierra County, New Mexico
Mouth	Colorado River near Yuma, Arizona
Basin countries	United States, Mexico
Length	649 mi (1,044 km) [1]
Mouth elevation	118 ft (36 m) [1]
Avg. Sierra County is a County located in the US state of New Mexico. The Colorado River (' Aha Kwahwat in Mojave) is a River in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately Yuma is a city in and the County seat of Yuma County, Arizona, United States. A drainage basin is an extent of Land where Water from Rain or Snow melt drains downhill into a body of water such as a River, The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. discharge	6070 cfs
Basin area	Colorado River

The Gila /'hilə/ River (O'odham [Pima]: Gila Akimel) is a tributary of the Colorado River, 649 mile (1,044 km) long, in the southwestern United States. In Hydrology, the discharge or outflow of a River is the volume of Water transported by it in a certain amount of time The Colorado River (' Aha Kwahwat in Mojave) is a River in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately O'odham (/ɔʔɔdham/ is an Uto-Aztecan language of southern Arizona and northern Sonora where the Tohono O'odham and Pima reside A tributary is a Stream or River which flows into a mainstem (or parent river The Colorado River (' Aha Kwahwat in Mojave) is a River in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately A mile is a unit of Length, usually used to measure Distance, in a number of different systems including Imperial units United States The kilometre ( American spelling: kilometer) symbol km is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one thousand The United States of America —commonly referred to as the

It rises in western New Mexico, in Sierra County on the western slope of continental divide in the Black Range. New Mexico ( is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States of America. Sierra County is a County located in the US state of New Mexico. A continental divide is a line of elevated Terrain which forms a border between two watersheds such that Water falling on one side of the line eventually The Black Range (also called the Mimbres Mountains) is an Igneous mountain range running north-south in Sierra and Grant counties in west-central It flows southwest to the Gila National Forest and Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, then westward into Arizona, past the city of Safford, and along the southern slope of the Gila Mountains (Graham County). The Gila National Forest is a protected National forest in New Mexico in the southwestern United States established in 1905 Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument is a US National Monument in the The State of Arizona ( is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. Safford ( Western Apache: Ichʼįʼ Nahiłtį́į́) is a city in Graham County, Arizona, United States. The Gila Mountains (Graham County is a Mountain range in central-east Arizona. It emerges from the mountains into the valley southeast of Phoenix, where it crosses the Gila River Indian Reservation as an intermittent stream, due to its use as a water source. Phoenix (ˈfiːˌnɪks O'odham Skikik, Yavapai Wasinka, Western Apache Fiinigis, Navajo Hoozdo, The Gila River Indian Community is an Indian reservation in Arizona, USA, lying adjacent to the south side of the city of Phoenix, within A stream is a body of Water with a current, confined within a bed and stream-banks West of Phoenix, it turns abruptly southward along the Gila Bend Mountains, then abruptly westward again near the town of Gila Bend, Arizona. Gila Bend (/ˌhilə 'bɛnd/ ( O'odham: Hila Win) founded in 1872 is a town in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. It flows southwestward through the Gila Mountains (Yuma County) and joins the Colorado near Yuma, Arizona. The Gila Mountains (Yuma County is a Mountain range in southwestern Arizona in the southwestern Sonoran Desert. Yuma is a city in and the County seat of Yuma County, Arizona, United States.

The Gila is one of the largest desert rivers in the world. It and its chief tributary, the Salt River, would both be perennial streams carrying large volumes of water, but irrigation and municipal water diversions turn both into largely dry rivers. The Salt River ( O'odham [Pima]: Onk Akimel) is a Tributary of the Gila River, approximately 322 km (200 mi long in central Arizona Below Phoenix to the Colorado River, the Gila is largely a trickle or dry, as is the lower Salt from Granite Reef Diversion Dam downstream to the Gila, though both rivers can carry massive volumes of water following rain storms. The Granite Reef Diversion Dam is a concrete Diversion dam located Northeast of Phoenix Arizona, on the Salt River. The natural mean flow of the Gila is 6070 cfs at its mouth with the Colorado, second only in volume of Colorado River tributaries to the Green River. The Gila used to be navigable by small craft from its mouth to near the Arizona - New Mexico border. The width varied from 150 - 1,200 feet (370 m) with a depth from 2 - 40 feet (12 m).

After the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo in 1848, the river served as a portion of the border between the United States and Mexico until the 1853 Gadsden Purchase extended U. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ( Tratado de Guadalupe Hidalgo in Spanish) is the Peace treaty, largely dictated by the United States to The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. The Gadsden Purchase (known as Venta de La Mesilla or Treaty of La Mesilla in Mexico is a region of what is today southern Arizona and New Mexico S. territory south of the Gila. The confluence of the Gila with the Colorado river was also used as a reference point for the southern border of California.

The only major dam on the Gila River is Coolidge Dam 31 miles (50 km) southeast of Globe, Arizona, which forms San Carlos Lake. A dam is a barrier that divides waters. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water while other structures such as Floodgates, Levees The Coolidge Dam is a reinforced concrete multiple dome and Buttress dam southeast of Globe Arizona on the Gila River. Globe ( Western Apache: Bésh Baa Gowąh) is a city in Gila County, Arizona, United States. San Carlos Lake was formed by the construction of the Coolidge Dam and is rimmed by 158 miles of shoreline The Painted Rock Dam crosses the Gila near Gila Bend, although the river is ephemeral at that point. The Painted Rock Dam is an earthfill Embankment dam located west of Gila Bend, Arizona. Gila Bend (/ˌhilə 'bɛnd/ ( O'odham: Hila Win) founded in 1872 is a town in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. Ephemeral things (from Greek εφήμερος - ephemeros, literally "lasting only one day" are transitory existing only briefly A number of minor diversion dams exist on the river between Painted Rock and Coolidge Dams, including the Gillespie Dam which was breeched during a flood in 1993. A diversion dam is the term for a Dam that diverts all or a portion of the flow of a River from its natural course The Gillespie Dam is a Concrete gravity Dam located on the Gila River between the Towns of Buckeye and Gila Bend, Year 1993 ( MCMXCIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar)

The upper Gila River, including the entire length within New Mexico, is free-flowing. Recent efforts to allow for damming or otherwise diverting this stretch have met with stiff resistance, having been named as one of the nation's most endangered rivers due to the threat of damming. New Mexico governor Bill Richardson has promised to block any such attempt during his term, and has even considered pushing for a statutory prohibition against any such projects on the state's portion of the river. William Blaine "Bill" Richardson III (born November 15, 1947) is the current Governor of New Mexico and was a candidate for the 2008 ^[2]

Gila River downstream from Coolidge Dam

Gila Akimel O'odham

A band of Pima (autonym "Akimel O'odham", river people), the Gila Akimel O'odham (Gila River People), have lived on the banks of the Gila River since before the arrival of Spanish explorers. The Coolidge Dam is a reinforced concrete multiple dome and Buttress dam southeast of Globe Arizona on the Gila River. Popular theory says that the word Gila was derived from a Spanish contraction of Hah-quah-sa-eel, a Yuma Indian word meaning "running water which is salty". ^[3]

Their traditional way of life (himdagĭ, sometimes rendered in English as Him-dak) was and is centered at the river, which is considered holy. Traditionally, sand from the banks of the river is used as an exfoliant when bathing (often in rainstorms, especially during the monsoon).

In the Gila River Indian Community, the traditional way of life has generally been better preserved than in the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. The Gila River Indian Community is an Indian reservation in Arizona, USA, lying adjacent to the south side of the city of Phoenix, within The Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community is comprised of two distinct Native American tribes the Pima (Akimel O'odham and the Maricopa (Piipaash Some speculate this may be due to the fact that the Gila River, a central aspect of the traditional way of life, still flows through the reservation year-round (although at times as an intermittent stream), while the Salt River does not.

Variant names

Middle Fork of the Gila River, SW New Mexico

The Gila River has also been known as:^[1]

• Akee-mull
• Apache de Gila
• Brazo de Miraflores
• Cina`ahuwipi
• Hah-quah-sa eel
• Hela River
• Jila River
• Rio Azul
• Rio Gila
• Rio de las Balsas
• Rio del Nombre Jesus
• Rio del los Apostoles
• Zila River
• Xila River
• Keli Akimel

See also

Gila River at U. S. 95

• San Francisco River
• San Pedro River
• Santa Cruz River
• Agua Fria River (Arizona)
• List of Arizona rivers
• List of New Mexico rivers
• Gila River War Relocation Center
• Gila monster
• Needle's Eye Wilderness
• Gila and Salt River Meridian

References