Purgatoire River

The Purgatoire River (Spanish: Río Purgatorio) is a river in southeastern Colorado, United States.

Purgatoire River[1]
The Purgatoire River has cut a canyon through the Great Plains.
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationConfluence of North Fork and Middle Fork
 • coordinates37°09′26″N 104°56′27″W
Mouth 
 • location
Confluence with Arkansas
 • coordinates
38°03′54″N 103°10′37″W
 • elevation
3,862 ft (1,177 m)
Basin size3,447 sq mi (8,930 km2)
Discharge 
 • locationLas Animas, Colorado
 • average60 cu/ft. per sec.[2]
Basin features
ProgressionArkansas—Mississippi

The Purgatoire River originates at the confluence of the North Fork Purgatoire and Middle Fork Purgatoire rivers near Weston in Las Animas County, Colorado. It flows generally east-northeastward 196 miles (315 km)[3] to a confluence with the Arkansas River in John Martin Reservoir State Park near Las Animas in Bent County, Colorado.

The Purgatoire River drains an area of 3,447 square miles (8,930 km2): 96.4 percent of this area is in Colorado, and the remaining 3.6 percent is in New Mexico.[4]

The Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site is a large military base located along the western bank of the Purgatoire River. Citizens groups opposed plans of the U.S. Army to expand the base. On November 25, 2013, the U.S. Army announced that its plan to expand the Piñon Canyon Maneuver site had been cancelled.[5]

History

The River with Five Names

The Purgatoire River, also known as Rio de las Ánimas, has a fascinating history and multiple interpretations of its name. It was named by New Mexican Governor Antonio Valverde y Cosío in 1719 during his exploration of the region. Valverde named it "Rio de las Ánimas," meaning "River of the Spirits," as a warning to subsequent explorers of the dangers of crossing the nearby Ratón Pass. Surviving the crossing, they could find fresh water and firewood at the river. [6]

Over time, the true meaning of the river's name became lost, and various interpretations emerged. By the end of the 18th-century Spanish traders believed it to be "Rio de las Ánimas en Purgatorio," or "River of the Souls in Purgatory," after a supposed massacre that occurred on its banks. This led to the birth of a legend of the same name that explained its history. French trappers learned the name and later translated it as "Rivière des âmes au Purgatoire." They related their translation to members of the Long Expedition[7] who renamed it "Purgatory Creek" in 1823 by removing all references to souls. [8]

Mexican traders on the old Santa Fe Trail expanded on the legend and named the river "Rio de las Ánimas Perdidas en Purgatorio,"[9] or "River of the Souls Lost in Purgatory," believing the souls to have become lost. Mountain Men had difficulty pronouncing the French translation and called it "Picatoire," while Anglophone settlers during the Colorado Gold Rush anglicized it to "Picketwire," despite the river having no relation to any fence. [10]

Depending on the language spoken, the river had five different names - Ánimas, Purgatorio, Purgatoire, Purgatory, and Picketwire - by the end of the 19th century. On December 6, 1911, the US Board on Geographic Names resolved the naming issue by selecting the French translation "Purgatoire" as the official name of the river.[11] Despite the various misinterpretations and name changes, the Las Animas-Purgatoire River remains an essential symbol of Colorado's history and legends as it is one of the state's oldest continuously named rivers, spanning over 300 years. Ironically, most locals today refer to it simply as "Purgatory" due to the difficulties associated with pronouncing the full name.


US Geographic Board Naming Card Purgatoire River, Colorado, Approved Dec. 6, 1911

The river is frequently referred to as the Picketwire River in the film The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), and once in the film True Grit (2010). This is a folk-etymologizing anglophone phonological approximation of the French pronunciation /pyʁ.ɡa.ˡtwaʁ/, developed by English-speaking settlers who later came to the area.[12]

The Purgatoire River is referenced in the 2017 Netflix miniseries Godless. It is also mentioned as the Purgatory in the Pulitzer Prize winning book Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry, as the place where the renegade Blue Duck goes into hiding.

See also

References
  1. "Purgatoire River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
  2. "USGS Current Conditions for USGS 07128500 PURGATOIRE RIVER NEAR LAS ANIMAS, CO".
  3. U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed March 31, 2011
  4. Gustafson, Daniel L. (January 24, 2003). "Hydrologic Unit Project". Montana State University, Environmental Statistics Group. Archived from the original on February 10, 2012. Retrieved February 8, 2008.
  5. Mark Udall Welcomes the U.S. Army's Decision on the Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site. KRDO-TV. November 26, 2013. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  6. Polt, John H. R. (May 14, 2013). "Expedition conducted in 1719 by Antonio Valverde Cossío, governor of New Mexico, to punish the Comanche and Ute Indians". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  7. James, Edwin; Long, Stephen Harriman; Say, Thomas; Adams, John; John Adams Library (Boston Public Library) BRL (1823). Account of an expedition from Pittsburgh to the Rocky Mountains, performed in the years 1819 and '20 : by order of the Hon. J.C. Calhoun, sec'y of war: under the command of Major Stephen H. Long. From the notes of Major Long, Mr. T. Say, and other gentlemen of the exploring party. John Adams Library at the Boston Public Library. Philadelphia : H.C. Carey and I. Lea ... p. 76.
  8. "Country drained by the Mississippi Western Section. - David Rumsey Historical Map Collection". www.davidrumsey.com. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  9. Lavender, David (1954). Bent's Fort. Internet Archive. Garden City, N.Y. : Doubleday. p. 10.
  10. "The Rocky Mountain News (Daily) January 31, 1868 — Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection". www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  11. "Geographic Names Information System". edits.nationalmap.gov. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  12. Stewart, George R. (1975). Names on the Globe. Oxford University Press. pp. 132–133. ISBN 978-0195018950.



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