| Purgatoire River[1] | |
|---|---|
 The Purgatoire River has cut a canyon through the Great Plains. | |
 | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Confluence of North Fork and Middle Fork |
| • coordinates | 37°09′26″N 104°56′27″W / 37.15722°N 104.94083°W |
| • elevation | 14,053 ft (4,283 m) |
| Mouth | |
• location | Confluence with Arkansas |
• coordinates | 38°03′54″N 103°10′37″W / 38.06500°N 103.17694°W |
• elevation | 3,852 ft (1,174 m) |
| Basin size | 3,449 sq mi (8,930 km2) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Las Animas, Colorado |
| • average | 60 cu/ft. per sec.[2] |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Arkansas—Mississippi |
The Purgatoire River (Spanish: Rio de las Ánimas & Río Purgatorio), also known as the Purgatory and Picketwire River, is in southeastern Colorado, United States. The river originates in the high mountains of the Culebra Range. Several tributaries merge near Weston in Las Animas County and the river flows east-northeastward 196 miles (315 km) to a confluence with the Arkansas River near Las Animas in Bent County, Colorado. The Purgatoire River drains an area of 3,449 square miles (8,930 km2), mostly in Colorado but a small percentage of the watershed is in New Mexico. The Purgatoire River watershed is lightly populated. Population has been declining since 1920 as former coal mining and agricultural communities have become ghost towns.