The Trinity River in Texas is not as well-known as many other major American rivers, and so its importance - even for the millions of people who depend upon it - is easy to underestimate. Nevertheless, the Trinity is the main contributor of freshwater to Galveston Bay, one of the largest and most important estuarial ecosystems in the United States. Along its path to the sea, the river sustains the lives of millions of people who live in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, Houston and the heartland in between.

Today in North Texas, the Trinity River is at the center of ambitious development plans that civic leaders in Dallas and Fort Worth have called the most important public project in the region's history. Even so, the Trinity River remains a largely invisible resource. Some of the reasons for this can be found by looking at the river's history and tracing the attitudes of those who came to live along its banks.

We have created this website to tell the fascinating story of how people have sought to use and control the most unpredictable river system in Texas for more than 150 years - and how the river has responded in turn. We invite you to visit the following sections of our site by clicking the icons below.