Alagon River

Alagón River, a few miles down from Sotoserrano.

The Alagón River is a river in Spain, the longest tributary of the Tagus River among those located in the Spanish basin.

Tour

• Geographical situation: it crosses the autonomous communities of Castilla y León (nacimiento) and Extremadura in Spain.
• Birth: Frades de la Sierra (Salamanca).
• mouth: on the right of the Tagus River at the height of Alcántara.
• Locations crossing: Monleón, Coria, Miranda del Castañar, Garcibuey, Ceclavín, San Esteban de la Sierra, Valdeobispo and Montehermoso.

It appears described in the first volume of the Geographical-statistical-historical dictionary of Spain and its overseas possessions by Pascual Madoz with the following words:

ALAGON: r. de la prov. de Cáceres; has its origin in that of Salamanca; but it is in it little known for the scarcity of its waters, and for the confusion that exists to designate its true appearance; we will follow in this the news that seems to us most successful, separating us from the map of D. Tomás Lopez and other geographers; this r is born. in a very abundant fountain, term. of Aldeanueva de Campomojado, part. jud. of Alba de Tormes, on the southern slope of the saw of Herreros; it receives almost at its birth the waters that come from this mountain, and thus poor, enters through the southern shudder of the term. Frades, part. from Sequeros, in the Villa de Leche, alq. del Endrinal, which passes by the village about 50 steps to the S.; then goes down to the v. of Monleon, in whose term receives the waters of Riofrio and MandilesIt serves as a southern lim to the Tornadizo, runs to the N. de S. Estéban de la Sierra, NE. de Garcibuey, SO. of Santibañez where the r. Quilama and PassageThey come from Valero's v. E. de Miranda del Castañar, doing lim. with Sta. Maria de lo Llano, until entering the tearm. of Soto Serrano: 1/2 leg. to the NE. of this town, receive the r. France for his der., and all the earthlings, and for his left, in the call Vado del ToroThe r. Body of Man which comes from the mountains of Béjar; thus rich and inexhaustible, penetrates into the steep mountains of the Hurdes, part of Granadilla, prov. of Cáceres; passes through the alq. Cabaloria and Rio Malo de Abajo, its fast current takes over the waters of the r. Head and BatuecasCome to Arroyo Franco, take those of Vegas de Cória which brings other rice, down to fishing, and on the site called Oveja Coat it is incorporated by the der. the r. Angeles, which comes from the Franqueado Pino and Casar de Palomero: bathe the O. of the walls of Granadilla, where it receives on the left. Aldovareta and Aldovaracontinue to the Term. of the Guijo de Granadilla, Ahigal and Santibañez the bass, in which he receives by the izq. the r. AmbrózAnd the der. the banks of the Bronco, Palomero and Mohedas; continue to Valdeobispo, Montehermoso and Galisteo, drink 1/4 leg. of the last the waters of the r. Jerte which comes from Plasencia by its izq., and descending to the plains of Morcillo, Marchagáz (desp. de Cória), Cória, Casillas and Ceclavin, always running in direction SO, picks up by its der. to r. Arrago and ribbed Gata that brings all the riach in. from the mountain of his name; after such a long stream, he made the owner of so many other branches, rich and powerful, he stumbles at 1/4 leg. to the N. of Alcántara with the magic waters of Tajo, and succumb to his power, not without presenting a kind of clash, and as refusing to mix his crystal clear waters, with the turbid and dark of his competitor: he has 7 bridges; the 1.o is found in the v. of Monleon, quite long and safe: the 2.o in the one of S. Estéban of the Sierra, built in the year 1588, to judge by this number 4 in the road that goes to Béjar and Salamanca: it has 3 good arches, more than 50 feet tall, 70 long and 14 wide, in full state of solidity after the composture that was made in the year of 1842: the 4.o in Soto Serrrano of 3 eyes, firm and sure: the 5.o in Granadilla, great and very ant., of stone labrada, with 6 arches. to another of the r.; its foundations are formed by terrible rocks that make its appearance more imposing; the pretiles are torn down in most; it is believed the work of the emperor Trajan; the 7.o in Cória built in 1518, but having changed course the r. separating from his ant. 120 aras alveo, the bridge is dry, serving only to make more bearable the descent of the ravines, on which the pobl is located: it has 5 eyes, 200 rods long and 54 palmos height. The soil of this r. can be considered in 5 pieces: the 1.o from its birth to the bridge of Soto Serrano that comprises 8 leg. of uneven terrain and rough margins: in this piece he loses his course in the summer always remaining some puddles: the 2.o to the bridge of Granadilla 4 leg. by the mountains of the Hurdes, agrid land, full of cliffs, dragging in its fast stream large stones, and causing to the poor Hurdanos countless damages in their avenues, during which they are seen to descend by the r. beams and many of the furniture used by those mountaineers: the 3.o up to Valdeobispo 4 leg, with many bars: the 4.o Tajo 6 leg. in those who get caught again with marg. as skeletonous as those of Hurdes: before reaching its drainage and between the dungeon of the Arroyo-quince and the fences of the Olivar of the Acenchal, term. of Alcántara, is the call Horse jump or as others say GypsyIt's a 2-lat gorge. and from 8 to 10 higher than the ordinary level of r., where it is precipitated; all its current is 30 leg. from N. to S. and from NE. to SO; drags in it many nuggets of Goldso much that there are villages, mainly in Montehermoso, where the mugers put in the water, constantly take care to clean the sands of the r. to extract this precious mineral: prod.: much and squisite fishing of trouts, to Granadilla; eels, fallows, and fish up to 30 pounds from here on: it gives movement to infinity of flour mills, of oil, spiders, and to the precious hydraulic machine for cloths, proper of D. Dionisio Muñoz de Rosa, established again at the sight of the c. of Cória.

(Madoz, 1845, p. 179)

Hydrological regime

Its waters are dammed in three reservoirs, all of them in the province of Cáceres:

• Gabriel and Galán, the highest capacity and whose purpose is to embals and regulate the flow of the river, in addition to generating electricity (110 MW).
• The Ponton, in Guijo de Granadilla and whose purpose is to generate electricity (52 MW).

Main tributaries

Tributaries to the right

• Río Quilamas
• Rio France
• Río Batuecas
• River Ladrillar
• Río Hurdano
• River of Los Angeles
• River Palomero
• Río Árrago

Tributaries to the left

• Río Sangusín
• Rio Corps of Man
• Río Ambroz
• Rio Jerte

PRSA1 Alto Alagon Route

• The river flows from the Alagón river in its Salmantine passage, from its birth in Frades to its entrance to the Cacereña lands, along twelve stages and 80 km signaled to unite the towns of Frades de la Sierra, Endrinal, Monleón, El Tornadizo, San Esteban de la Sierra, San Miguel de Valeguiro, San Esteban de la Sierra, Valero, Mocibuey,
• An experience of the route:

"Saving streams by old Roman-Mediterranean bridges, penetrating through almost impossible forests, by caring for family orchards, through fields of fruit and vineyards and resting in each of the passing towns, in which the good table and the comforting broth of the earth will never fail."