Tornillo-Guadalupe International Bridge Live Cam

Origins of River Crossings in the Tornillo–Guadalupe Region

Centuries before paved roads and steel structures spanned the Río Grande, indigenous groups such as the Piro and Mescalero Apache followed seasonal game trails that led to shallow fords near what is now Tornillo, Texas, and Guadalupe, Chihuahua. During late spring, when snowmelt from the Rocky Mountains raised water levels, herds of bighorn sheep and pronghorn antelope congregated in low-water channels, directing hunters toward reliable crossing points. Spanish colonial expeditions in the late 17th and early 18th centuries recognized these natural fords, incorporating them into the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, which connected Santa Fe to the silver mines of Parral and Zacatecas. By the early 1800s, ranchers and merchants used makeshift rafts—cottonwood dugouts and small flatboats—to move livestock and goods across the river, tethering vessels to wooden pilings embedded in the sandy banks.