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The Pecos River rises in northern New Mexico and flows for 926 miles (1,480 km) through the eastern portion of that state and neighboring Texas before it empties into the Rio Grande near Del Rio. The river drains approximately 38,300 mi² (99,000 km²) of territory.
The river is dammed at Avalon and McMillan to help irrigate about 25,000 acres (101 km²) as part of the Carlsbad reclamation project (established in 1906). Texas has also dammed the river at the Red Bluff Dam in the western part of that state. New Mexico and Texas disputed water rights to the river until the federal government settled the dispute in 1949.
In the latter half of the 19th century, "West of the Pecos" was a reference to the rugged frontiers of the Wild West.
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