San Jacinto River (Calif.)

The San Jacinto River ( SAN jə-SIN-toh, Spanish pronunciation: [ˈri.o ˈsaŋ xaˈsinto]) is a body of water that flows through southeast Texas. The name also originates from Saint Hyacinth, a Polish Dominican friar and missionary. In the past, it was home to the Karankawa and Akokisa tribes. The river begins with a west and east fork; the west fork begins in Walker County, to the west of Huntsville, and flows southeast through Montgomery County, where it is dammed to create Lake Conroe. The east fork begins in San Jacinto County, a few miles west of Lake Livingston, then flows south through Cleveland. The confluence of the west and east forks occurs in northeast Harris County, where the river is dammed to create Lake Houston. Continuing southward, the river merges with Buffalo Bayou before the mouth of Galveston Bay, forming part of the Houston Ship Channel.