El Paso Marker

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El Paso in El Paso County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

El Paso

By Bill Kirchner, November 3, 2010

1. El Paso Marker

Inscription. Inhabited by various Indian tribes prior to the arrival of the Spaniards in the 16th century, El Paso has played an important role in the history of Mexico and the United States. Its four centuries of recorded history span periods of Spanish colonization, Mexican rule, and Anglo railroad building and industrialization.

Early settlements were established on the south side of the Rio Grande at El Paso del Norte (the Pass of the North). After the Rio Grande became a boundary between the United States and Mexico, a settlement called Franklin grew up on the north side of the river and eventually took the name El Paso. The original El Paso del Norte settlement on the south side became Ciudad Juarez.

The establishment of Fort Bliss in 1854, the arrival of the Butterfield Overland Mail route in 1858, and the building of the railroads in the 1880s brought an economic boom and increased population. The flourishing frontier community became the seat of El Paso county government in 1883. Its proximity to mining areas in northern Mexico, New Mexico, and Arizona, combined with its geographic location on the international border made El Paso a multi-cultural, multifaceted city unique among Texas communities.

Erected 1991 by Texas Historical Commission and the Dr. W.H. Timmons Fund, El Paso Community Foundation

By Bill Kirchner, November 3, 2010

2. El Paso Marker

El Paso Marker is on the far right.

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Location. 31° 45.508′ N, 106° 29.338′ W. Marker is in El Paso, Texas, in El Paso County. Marker is on South El Paso Street, on the right when traveling north. Click for map. Marker is located at Pioneer Plaza and South El Paso Street. Marker is in this post office area: El Paso TX 79901, United States of America.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Fray García de San Francisco (here, next to this marker); Pioneer Plaza (here, next to this marker); El Paso's First Newspaper (a few steps from this marker); LULAC (a few steps from this marker); The Woman's Club of El Paso (a few steps from this marker); The First Kindergarten in Texas (a few steps from this marker); Hotel Paso Del Norte (within shouting distance of this marker); A City Is Born (within shouting distance of this marker). Click for a list of all markers in El Paso.

By Bill Kirchner, November 4, 2010

3. El Paso

View from Mount Franklin Scenic Overlook.

Credits. This page originally submitted on November 11, 2010, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona. This page has been viewed 251 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 11, 2010, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.