"Colorado"

[David L. White]

----- Original Message -----
From: Rick Mc Callister <rmccalli at sunmuw1.MUW.Edu>
Sent: Thursday, March 29, 2001 9:26 AM
Subject: Re: "Guadalupe"

> BTW: Don't forget Austin's Colorado River
> I've also seen Spanish language maps with the Red River as "Ri/o
> Rojo" but I don't know if this was the original form or just a translation
> Which begs another question:
> Spanish rojo vs, colorado for "red"

        I had always thought, knowing next to nothing of Spanish, that
"colorado" was cognate with "colored", and meant the same.  Perhaps the
meaning 'red' is recent?  Certainly the Colorado, if it is anything, is
green, not red, though the Llano, a tributary, might perhaps be said to be
pink due to granitic sand.  The general rule, from my observations, is that
the Colorado and rivers SW of it are green (or if small enough clear) while
the Brazos and rivers NE of it are muddy brown.  No red rivers around here,
that I have seen ...

Dr. David L. White