About this item
For eighty-seven miles, the swift and shallow Blanco River winds through the Texas Hill Country. Its water is clear and green, darkened by frequent pools. But Spanish explorers named it the White River for the pale limestone they encountered along its banks and dramatic bluffs. Over the last two years, Wes Ferguson and Jacob Botter have paddled, walked, and waded the Blanco. They have explored its history, people, wildlife, and the natural beauty that surprises everyone who experiences this river. Described as "the defining element in some of the Hill Country's most beautiful scenery," the Blanco flows both above and below ground, part of a network of rivers and aquifers that sustains the region's wildlife and millions of humans alike. However, overpumping and prolonged drought have combined to weaken the Blanco's flow and sustenance, and in 2000 - for the first time in recorded history - the river's most significant feeder spring, Jacob's Well, briefly ceased to flow.
About the Author
Wes Ferguson is the author of two nonfiction books -- The Blanco River and Running the River: Secrets of the Sabine -- both published by Texas A&M University Press. His work has appeared in Texas Monthly, the Texas Observer and other publications. A native of Kilgore, Texas, Ferguson lives in Austin.
