Gila River

The Gila River (Pima: Hila Akimel) is a tributary of the Colorado River, 630 mile (1,014 km) long, in the southwestern United States.

Related Topics:
Pima - Tributary - Colorado River - Mile - Km - United States

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It rises in western New Mexico, in Sierra County on the western slope of continental divide in the Black Range. It flows southwest Gila National Forest and Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, then westward into Arizona, past the town of Safford, and along the southern slope of the Gila Mountains. 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. East of Phoenix, it turns abrupty southward along the Gila Bend Mountains, then abruptly westward again near the town of Gila Bend, Arizona. It flows southwestward and joins the Colorado near Yuma, Arizona.

Related Topics:
New Mexico - Sierra County - Continental divide - Black Range - Gila National Forest - Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument - Arizona - Safford - Gila Mountains - Phoenix - Gila River Indian Reservation - Stream - Gila Bend Mountains - Gila Bend, Arizona - Yuma, Arizona

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After the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo in 1848, the river served as the border between the United States and Mexico until the 1853 Gadsden Purchase extended U.S. territory south of the Gila.

Related Topics:
Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo - 1848 - Mexico - 1853 - Gadsden Purchase

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