Pedro de Rivera y Villalon found the river in 1727 and believed it was simply an arm of the Brazos.

Spanish explorers discovered members of the Lipan Apache and Tonkawa tribes living along the river in the early eighteenth century.

The upper reaches of the Leon do not facilitate recreational use since the river only has sufficient water during periods of heavy runoff.

These lower sections of the river pass through a scenic portion of the Cross Timbers area of Central Texas.

[5] The Leon River obtains its name from the Spanish explorer and colonial governor Alonso de León.

In Bell County, the Lampasas turns northeast and is dammed five miles southeast of Belton to form Stillhouse Hollow Lake.

Tributaries to the Lampasas include Bennett, Lucy, Sulpher, Simms, School, and Turkey creeks.

[6] The Lampasas passes through flat terrain with shallow depressions, surface soils of clay and sandy loams which support water-tolerant hardwoods, conifers and grasses.

The geography along the San Gabriel is varied, with heavy vegetation on its banks and occasional limestone bluffs in the Balcones Escarpment of the Blackland Prairie.

[11] Cities and towns along the San Gabriel include Rockdale, Thorndale, Granger, Taylor, Georgetown, Bertram, and Burnet.

However, recreational use is restricted to periods of sufficient rainfall since they tend to not maintain consistent water flow.

[10] Other seasonal tributaries of the San Gabriel include Brushy, Alligator, Opossum, Berry, Pean, Little and Oatmeal creeks.