One of the major rivers of Texas, the Guadalupe River begins it’s 400 mile journey in western Kerr County at an elevation of 1,900 feet. More than 50 springs and numerous seeps contribute to its base flow along the North and South Fork that combine in Hunt to form the main river.  Johnson Creek watershed also is a major contributor to the river (at Ingram).

For the first 25 miles, the upper watershed of 494,035 acres is within Kerr County’s boundaries.  It is the liquid thread that binds the 5 communities of Hunt, Ingram, Kerrville, Center Point (and Comfort, the former county seat) together.  It is the river as a source of water, and the habitat for towering baldcypress that lead pioneers to settle along its banks.  Human settlements in Kerr County date back 15,000 years.

The Guadalupe River Basin includes 15 counties and 10 cities before it enters the Gulf of Mexico at San Antonio Bay near Seadrift.

Ecology and Biology:

home of the Guadalupe Bass, Cagle’s map turtle; 3 species of kingfishers

side bar: who calls the river home

River terms:  channel, floodplain, riparian zone, river bottom, etc