Florida River is a 61.7-mile-long (99.3 km)[2] tributary of the Animas River in La Plata County, Colorado.

Florida River[1]
Stream with cows and a barn behind it
Map
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationLillie Lake
 • coordinates37°34′43″N 107°35′36″W / 37.57861°N 107.59333°W / 37.57861; -107.59333
Mouth 
 • location
Confluence with Animas
 • coordinates
37°02′56″N 107°52′22″W / 37.04889°N 107.87278°W / 37.04889; -107.87278
 • elevation
5,994 ft (1,827 m)
Basin features
ProgressionAnimasSan JuanColorado

The river's source is Lillie Lake in the Weminuche Wilderness. After being impounded by the Lemon Dam to form Lemon Reservoir about fifteen miles northeast of Durango, it joins the Animas River south of Durango on the Southern Ute Indian Reservation near the New Mexico state line.

Florida is a name derived from Spanish meaning "little flower".[3]

Florida River and Williams–Ignacio Plant (a petroleum and gas processing facility) near Durango, aerial view on takeoff from Durango–La Plata County Airport

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Florida River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2011-01-31.
  2. ^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map Archived 2012-03-29 at the Wayback Machine, accessed March 21, 2011
  3. ^ Dawson, John Frank. Place names in Colorado: why 700 communities were so named, 150 of Spanish or Indian origin. Denver, CO: The J. Frank Dawson Publishing Co. p. 21.