Larry Brown's Early Management (1993–2004)

Lore & Background

The Colorado River originates in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and flows generally southwest through the Colorado Plateau and Grand Canyon before reaching Lake Mead and turning south to the international border. Its name comes from the Spanish for 'colored reddish' due to heavy silt. The river drains parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states.

Reader's Guide

The river begins in Rocky Mountain National Park, runs south, then west below Grand Lake. It flows through the Western Slope, gaining tributaries like the Blue, Eagle, and Roaring Fork rivers. After passing through De Beque Canyon, it meets the Gunnison River at Grand Junction. It then turns northwest and southwest across the Colorado Plateau, through Ruby Canyon and Westwater Canyon into Utah, where it receives the Dolores River and later the Green River in Canyonlands National Park. It enters Arizona, passes Lee's Ferry, and flows through the Grand Canyon. Below Hoover Dam, it forms Lake Mead and continues south to Mexico.

Did You Know?

• The Colorado River is the 5th longest river in the United States at 1,450 miles.
• The lower 100 miles of the river have rarely reached the sea since the 1960s due to water consumption.
• The river and its tributaries provide water for 40 million people.
• Hoover Dam, completed in 1935, is the largest dam on the river.