| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — A City Is Born |
| | On this site, with Butterfield Stages rumbling by, stood a saloon operated by Ben S. Dowell, who became the first Mayor of El Paso on August 15, 1873; with Aldermen John F. Evans, John S. Gillette, Andrew Hornick, Thomas N. Massie, Joseph Schutz and William Tryer their first official act was to pass ordinance No. 1, making it illegal for any person to bathe in El Paso's water and drinking supply…namely, an acequia which ran 150 feet forth of this location.
From this inauspicious beginning . . . — Map (db m37915) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — Alderete-Candelaria House |
| | Although the exact building date for this adobe masonry structure is unknown, it appears to have been constructed during the 1870s for Benigno Alderete (1845-1916). Born in Ysleta (now part of El Paso), Alderete served at various times as a Texas Ranger, county commissioner, and town mayor. The residence became known as the Candelaria House after Alderete's granddaughter Ester married Alex Candelaria, whose family also had been leaders in early El Paso County history. The large "L" shaped house . . . — Map (db m37981) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — Bataan Memorial Trainway |
| | With the arrival of the railroads to El Paso in 1881, the train tracks marked the northern boundary of the city. As El Paso grew, the tracks divided downtown and created a time-consuming barrier for pedestrians and motorists. In the early 20th century, a trainway was proposed to place the city's main railroad tracks below street level. In 1948, eight major contractors and 22 subcontractors began work on the project. Robert E. McKee General Contractor did the largest portion of the work - . . . — Map (db m37855) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — Bien Venido |
| | El Paso has always been a transportation, agricultural, industrial and international crossroads. With a well balanced economy, built upon a strong spiritual, cultural, governmental and educational foundation. Sunny days, crystal clear nights and moderate temperatures with low humidity give it a climate unsurpassed. The horizons are limitless and as beckoning as is the warmth of our friendship. We welcome you to all of this, and more.
City Council
Ralph E. Seitseinger, Mayor
Aldermen
Ray . . . — Map (db m37933) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — 569 — Burges House |
| | Prominent El Paso attorney Richard Fenner Burges (1873-1945) had this house built in 1912 by local contractor J.E. Morgan. It was altered in 1927 according to plans of architect Otto H. Thorman, resulting in its current appearance featuring classical design elements, including a portico with fluted columns. Burges, whose wife, Ethel Petrie Shelton, died during the home's construction, was an active civic leader, serving as city attorney and member of the State legislature. The house was . . . — Map (db m60720) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — Camino Real |
| | For more than 200 years the Camino Real, or Royal Road, was the major route for transporting commercial goods from Mexico City and Chihuahua to Santa Fe and Taos. First traveled by Juan de Onate during his 1598 expedition to New Mexico, the Camino Real followed the San Elizario, Socorro, and Ysleta Road, crossed the Rio Grande west of present downtown El Paso, and continued north into New Mexico. When the Rio Grande was established as the U.S. - Mexico boundary in 1848, this section of the old Camino Real became part of the United States. — Map (db m38040) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — Capt. James W. Magoffin — Hometown of Texas Confederates — 1799 – 1866 |
| | Born in Kentucky. Trader in Mexico. Special U.S. Army agent in Mexican War, 1846-47. Established trading post at Magoffinville about 1850. Named state agent with Simeon Hart to receive U. S. property surrendered at Ft. Bliss, Mar, 1861 prior to Civil War. This and other military stores obtained through his long standing contacts in Mexico supplied the Confederate Forces in the Arizona-New Mexico campaign 1861-62. Made State Brig. Gen. 1861. Left here with Confederate evacuation 1862. As Capt. . . . — Map (db m38048) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — Captain Frank Jones |
| |
Born in Austin, Texas
1856
Killed by bandits
June 30, 1893
near San Elizario
while commanding
Company D
Texas Rangers — Map (db m37950) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — Chamizal National Memorial |
| | This site commemorates the peaceful settlement of the Chamizal controversy, 1866 – 1963, and honors the men of goodwill, in the United States and Mexico, who made it possible.
Este sitio conmemora la resolucion amistosa de la disputa del Chamizal, 1866-1963, y honra a los hombres de Buena fe de Mexico y los estados unidos quienes lo hicieron posible.
To commemorate
The
Bicentennial of the Constitution
Of the
United States of America
1787 – 1987 — Map (db m38073) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — Concordia Cemetery |
| | Known as Concordia during the 1840s, this area was the home of Chihuahua trader Hugh Stephenson. In 1856 his wife, Juana (Ascarate), was buried in what is now part of Concordia Cemetery. The graveyard gained widespread use in the 1880s when El Pasoans drove three miles to Concordia to bury their dead. By 1890 various sections had been purchased by different groups and were designated Catholic, Masonic, Jewish, Black, Chinese, Military, Jesuit, City, and County. Buried here are gunfighter John . . . — Map (db m37947) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — Defining A Border |
| | If you were standing here prior to the Chamizal Treaty of 1963, you would have been on a Mexican "island" looking into the United States. Referred to as Cordova Island because it was completely surrounded by the United States, this parcel of land was given to the U. S. by Mexico in exchange for land to the west.
Cordova Island's original international boundary was defined using evenly spaced cement fence post, and cast iron markers such as the one before you. This 600-pound marker was one . . . — Map (db m38071) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — 13853 — Dr. Lawrence A. Nixon — (1883-1966) |
| | Dr. Lawrence Aaron Nixon was a pivotal figure in Texas civil rights. Born in Marshall, Harrison County, Texas, he attended Wiley College and Meharry Medical College and became a physician. He began his medical practice in Cameron, Milam County. In January 1910, after witnessing violent racial strife in the community, Dr. Nixon moved to El Paso. His first wife, Esther (Calvin), and their infant son subsequently joined him here. Dr. Nixon became a charter member of the El Paso chapter of the . . . — Map (db m60729) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — El Camino Real — (The King's Highway) |
| | The regal highway extending between his Catholic majesty's far flung kingdoms of New Spain, from Mexico City to the Kingdom of New Mexico, passed here. From 1581 onward it was the route followed by conqueror, padre, merchant, adventurer and settler. Along its course passed ox-cart and mule-train and the traffic of the new realm. — Map (db m37802) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — El Paso |
| | 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 . . . — Map (db m37809) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — El Paso & Southwestern Railroad — Locomotive Number One |
| | One of the oldest survivors of America's steam railroading era, this locomotive was built 29 years after the steam engine was first developed for transportation. Breese, Kneeland & Company of Jersey City, New Jersey also operated as the New York Locomotive Works and is represented by the No. 73 on the locomotive builders plate. The company used its standard style, based on a design patented by Henry Roe Campbell in 1836. Known as a 4-4-0 "Classic American" for its wheel configuration, this . . . — Map (db m37851) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — El Paso County — CSA |
| | Voted 871 to 2 for secession. At start of Civil War Minutemen were organized to provide frontier protection. The San Elizario Spy Company was mustered into Confederate service on July 11, 1861. El Paso was the springboard and supply point for 1861-2 Arizona - New Mexico campaign to give South a Pacific outlet. These troops retired back into Texas and by July 1862, the last Confederate forces left El Paso. Many citizens who favored South went with them, others moved across the river and . . . — Map (db m48627) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — El Paso del Rio del Norte |
| | On May 4, 1598, Don Juan de Oñate, Adelantado and Capitain-General, Governor of New Mexico, first named El Paso del Rio del Norte.
Through this old pass, the lowest snow-free feasible route from the Atlantic to the Pacific through the Rocky Mountains, extend today the great trunk lines of telegraph and railroad. The city of El Paso marks the place and perpetuates the name. — Map (db m24743) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — El Paso International Airport / The Butterfield Trail / Refinery Area |
| |
[Left:]
El Paso International Airport
One of the nation's finest and busiest major airports and general aviation centers, dedicated in 1928. Elevation is 3,936 feet with a total area of 3,878 acres and tremendous runways measuring up to 12,000 feet. Strict liaison with Biggs AFB and Ft. Bliss has resulted in the most efficient and mutually satisfactory operation, both civilian and military, possible to attain.
[Center]
The Butterfield Trail
Eastward U.S. . . . — Map (db m37882) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — El Paso Laundry and Cleaners Company |
| | The El Paso Laundry and Cleaners Company was established in 1891 and moved to this site in 1897. Strategically located alongside the Rio Grande just a few hundred yards from the streets of Ciudad Juarez, the company played an interesting role in several international events, including the 1909 meeting between Presidents William Howard Raft and Porfirio Diaz. When Diaz crossed the Santa Fe Bridge and arrived at the front of the Laundry to meet Taft, he was welcomed by enthusiastic crowds and . . . — Map (db m60743) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — El Paso Lower Valley Missions/ Cordova Island/ The City and County of El Paso |
| | El Paso Lower Valley Missions
Ysleta Mission -- 1681. Ysleta, the oldest community in Texas, claims the most steadily cultivated plot of land in the U.S.
Socorro Mission -- 1682. Regarded as the oldest active parish church in the U.S. Has a unique burying ground and descansas.
San Elizario -- where domestic animals were first introduced and military garrison established in the now continental U.S. by Don Juan de Onate in 1598. The presidio chapel was founded in 1777 and . . . — Map (db m37890) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — 1437 — El Paso Union Passenger Station |
| | This Union Station was built in 1904-05 as a center for El Paso's international railroad traffic. Constructed under the direction of Buchanan and Powers, general contractors, it was designed by the noted Chicago architectural firm of Daniel H. Burnham, who also designed the elaborate Union Station in Washington, D.C. The El Paso Union Passenger Station now serves as a reminder of the railroad's role in the early development of the city.
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1982 — Map (db m60718) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — El Paso's Chinese Community |
| | Chinese immigrants first arrived in El Paso shortly before the Southern Pacific Railroad completed its line here in 1881. The earliest immigrants opened a rooming house and a grocery store. Soon afterwards, the U.S. Government passed the Chinese exclusion act (1882) which restricted Chinese immigration. However, enough Chinese remained to create a vibrant community throughout downtown El Paso. Into the early 1020's, El Paso's Chinese community was the largest in Texas.
The Chinese . . . — Map (db m37904) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — El Paso's First Newspaper |
| | El Paso Del Norte where the Centuries Meet
El Paso's First Newspaper
Near this spot in 1860, grew a cottonwood tree on whose broad breast were posted many public and private notices. In one of these on August 6th, 1860, Anson Mills denounced J.S. Gillett, W. J. Morton and J. R. Sipes as willful and malicious scoundrels' for calling him an Abolitionist. In reply these men called Mills a damned Black Republican and a contemptible pup. Many notices such as these, caused our first . . . — Map (db m37910) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — Elite Confectionary |
| | Elite Confectionary
The Elite Confectionary was located on the ground floor of the Buckler Building and was a popular soda fountain in the early years of the 20th century. It was noted for its chocolate covered ice cream baseballs along with candies, cakes, and sodas. One of the Elite's regular customers was Mexican revolutionary leader Francisco "Pancho" Villa. Villa abstained from alcohol, enforced sobriety among his troops, and was known to destroy saloons and wine cellars. But Villa . . . — Map (db m37798) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — 1629 — First Baptist Church of El Paso |
| | The first meeting of Baptists in El Paso was held on August 26, 1882, at the home of Maj. and Mrs. W.F. Fewel, under the leadership of the Rev. George Baines, Jr. One week later he directed the formation of this congregation, which was chartered with 22 members. The first sanctuary, constructed in 1885 at Magoffin and San Antonio, served until 1906 when new facilities were occupied at Magoffin and Virginia. In 1922 First Baptist merged with Central Baptist Church and moved to this location. . . . — Map (db m60723) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — First Mission and Pueblo in Texas — Corpus Christi de la Ysleta |
| |
Established by
Don Antonio de Otermin
and
Fray Francisco Ayeta O.F.M.
in 1682
Maintained by
Franciscan missionaries
for the civilizing and Christianizing
of the Tigua Indians,
Pueblo Revolt refugees — Map (db m37959) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — Fort Bliss Buffalo Soldiers Memorial |
| | History
In 1866, One year after the end of the Civil War and more than six months after the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery was enacted Congress had the need to reorganize the peacetime Regular Army. Recognizing the Military merits of Black Soldiers, four Black Infantry Regiments and two Segregated Regiments of Black Cavalry were authorized. The Ninth and Tenth United States Cavalry were destined to become most decorated of all United States Military Regiments.
Nickname
It is . . . — Map (db m38367) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — Fort Bliss Officers' Quarters |
| | Old Fort Bliss, on site formerly in Mexico. Owned after 1849 by Simeon Hart, founder of Hart's Mill and early village of El Paso.
Officers quarters, built about 1879 on 3' foundations of hewn stone. 24" walls are double-laid adobe brick. — Map (db m38052) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — Fray García de San Francisco — Founder of the Pass of the North, 1659 — By Sculptor John Houser |
| | [Engish Translation:]
Fray García was born in Old Castile, Spain and traveled to Mexico in 1629 where he became a Franciscan priest serving in the Province of New Mexico. In 1659 he established the Manso Indian Mission of Our Lady of Guadalupe at the Pass of the North, a strategic location on the Camino Real. This was the founding of the twin international cities of El Paso, Texas and Cd. Juárez, Chihuahua. The sculpture depicts Fray García in the act of building the mission; in his . . . — Map (db m37913) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — 12913 — Fusselman Canyon |
| | Below is Fusselman Canyon, which follows the Fusselman Canyon Fault, a major natural cut into the Franklin Mountains. For centuries it has served as a natural corridor for the movement of people, goods and livestock between the river valley to the west and the desert basin to the east. The canyon also served as a source of seasonal water, plant and animals for the many Native Americans who inhabited this region. It is named in honor of Charles H. Fusselman (1866-1890), Texas Ranger and U.S. . . . — Map (db m59163) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — 2302 — Guardian Angel Church |
| | This Romanesque revival style building was constructed in 1908, soon after the church was founded by the Rev. Carlos M. Pinto, S.J. (1841-1919). A Jesuit priest who began several missions in the El Paso area, Pinto also drew plans and supervised the construction of the building. The elaborate decoration of the church's interior was directed by the Rev. Carmelo Tranchese, S.J. An El Paso landmark, Guardian Angel Church features brickwork and arches derived from the north Italian medieval . . . — Map (db m60726) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — 12796 — Henry O. Flipper |
| | Henry Ossian Flipper (1856-1940) was the first African-American graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1877. Born into slavery in Thomasville, Georgia, he came from a family of achievers; his brothers were an African Methodist Episcopal Bishop, a college professor and a farmer.
Commissioned as Lieutenant in the 10th U.S. Cavalry Regiment, also known as the Buffalo Soldiers, Flipper was stationed at bases in western states and territories. At Fort Sill, Oklahoma, he . . . — Map (db m60727) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — Historic Sidewalk Clock |
| | Historic Sidewalk Clock
This sidewalk clock has marked time in downtown El Paso since 1911. Made by the E. Howard & company of Boston, Massachusetts it is a masterpiece of cast-iron workmanship featuring two large round faces and mounted on a classical column that measures fifteen feet from the base to the center of the dial. The clock continues to operate using its original mechanical movement.
Introduced in the 1860's, sidewalk clocks were popular in American cities both as . . . — Map (db m37801) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — Hotel Cortez |
| | Alzina DeGroff bought the Vendome Hotel at this site in 1899, renaming it Hotel Orndorff after her first husband. Noted architect Henry C. Trost designed a new building for her, which opened in 1926. Renamed Hotel Cortez in 1935, this brick structure reflects a Spanish eclectic style, featuring prominent cast-relief, terra cotta detailing with busts of conquistadors. Guests included President John F. Kennedy, who stayed here in 1963. The hotel closed in 1970. It was converted into offices in . . . — Map (db m37803) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — Hotel Paso Del Norte |
| | This brick and terra cotta structure was the "dream hotel" of early El Paso businessman and promoter Zach White. White came to the town in 1881 and recognized El Paso's great potential as a gateway to Mexico. He worked hard to help the city realize that potential by building the Santa Fe International Bridge and an early streetcar line, as well as introducing electric street lights and natural gas. His most visible contribution to the growing community, however, was the ten-story Hotel Paso Del . . . — Map (db m37850) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — John Wesley Hardin |
| | The west's most feard
gunman, killer of at
least 26 men, was shot
dead in the Acme Saloon
on this site Aug. 19,
1895.
Hardin was shot in the
back of the head by El
Paso constable John
Selman.
At Selman's trial
witnesses testified: "If
Hardin was shot in the
eye it was excellent
marksmanship, if he was
shot in the back it was
excellent Judgement."
Selman, out on bail, a
few months later was
killed in a gunfight. — Map (db m24741) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — John Wesley Hardin — (May 26, 1853 - August 19, 1895) |
| | Born in Bonham, Texas, John Wesley Hardin was named for the founder of Methodism. "Wes" Hardin grew into a family man, cowboy, and outlaw who claimed to have killed more than 30 men. An unusual sort of gunslinger, Hardin considered himself a pillar of society who killed to save his own life. Hardin served 15 years in state prison for murder, was pardoned, then opened a law office in El Paso in May 1895. He was killed 3 months later by John Selman, an El Paso city constable. — Map (db m38070) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — La Patria Newspaper |
| | 317 South El Paso Street was the site of a leading pro-Villista Spanish language newspaper, La Patria, published by Silvestre Terrazas, a member of the oligarchic Chihuahuan Terrazas family. Terrazas wrote for La Revista Catolica and founded El Correo de Chihuahua in 1899. He originally supported the policies of the Diaz government but in 1907 he was briefly detained by the government after penning an editorial criticizing police handling of a bank robbery. After being . . . — Map (db m60744) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — LULAC |
| | The League of United Latin Citizens (LULAC) was founded in Corpus Christi, Texas in 1929, dedicated to the betterment of Americans of Mexican descent. The league soon expanded to El Paso with the establishment of LULAC Council 8 in 1933 and council 9 in 1934.
The Hilton Hotel, now the Plaza Hotel, played an important role in LULAC history as the site of numerous local, state and national events and meetings. The hotel management provided support for programs such as the "Little School of . . . — Map (db m37911) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — Madero Camp |
| | In the spring of 1911 Pascual Orozco and Francisco "Pancho" Villa amassed their revolutionary forces on the outskirts of Ciudad Juárez and were soon joined by Francisco I. Madero. The Madero Camp, which stood across the river from this site, became the center of the revolutionary movement against President Porfirio Díaz. A small, simple adobe building, known as "La Casita Gris," or the Little Grey House, served as the headquarters of Madero's provisional army and thousands of irregular troops . . . — Map (db m38100) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — Magoffin Homestead |
| | Joseph Magoffin (1837-1923), son of James Wiley Magoffin, one of the founders of the city, settled in El Paso in 1856. He held many offices: Collector of Customs, County Judge, and Mayor for four terms. In 1875, six years before railroads reached El Paso, he built this pueblo-style house of adobe and timbers from the Sacramento Mountains of New Mexico. The ceilings of many rooms have pine vigas under cross timbers. His family lived here over a century. — Map (db m38087) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — Magoffinsville |
| | One of four population centers during the early period of American settlement of the present El Paso area, Magoffinsville was founded by Kentucky native James Wiley Magoffin (1799-1868). In 1849, he began acquiring land in this vicinity. The headquarters of his property was at Magoffin and Willow streets (10 blks. E). There he built a large home and buildings to serve his trading, ranching, and farming activities.
Magoffinsville became the center of social and business activities for the . . . — Map (db m38086) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — Major Simeon Hart — 1816-1874 |
| | Born New York moved to El Paso 1861, founded Hart's Mill that ground out 100 barrels flour a day and sold to buyers from Arizona to San Antonio. When the Civil War came he was the main source for securing military supplies for the Arizona-New Mexico campaign. In 1962 Hart joined the C.S.A. army and was made chief purchasing agent for the War Department west of the Mississippi. His extensive contacts in Mexico and Europe and his knowledge of markets made him able to render great service to the . . . — Map (db m38043) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — Montgomery Building — (false front) |
| | The Montgomery building is the last surviving false-front wood structure in the city of El Paso. It was built in 1881-1882 as El Paso underwent a great transformation from an adobe village to a thriving city following the arrival of the railroads. Named for its builder, William J. Montgomery (1837-1899), the Montgomery Building was typical of western frontier architecture of the late 19th century.
The simple box-shaped building is noted by a decorative wood cornice that can still be seen . . . — Map (db m60745) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — Mount Cristo Rey/ The Gadsden Purchase/ El Paso Smelting Works |
| | Mount Cristo Rey
High above the point where the states of Texas, New Mexico and Chihuahua intersect stands an impressive monument at the summit of Sierra de Cristo Rey, portraying Christ on the cross. The dream of the small parish of San Jose Del Rio Grande was realized when this fifty-three foot high cross was dedicated in 1940.
The Gadsden Purchase
Across the river from the Southwestern Portland Cement Company plant, the products of which have helped build El Paso and the . . . — Map (db m37930) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — Nine of Primitive El Paso's Patriotic Heroes |
| | To the memory of nine of primative El Paso's patriotic heroes Emmett Mills
Aged 19
Freeman Thomas - Joe Poacher
M. Champion - John Pontel
Bob Avlin - John Wilson
Who in July 1861 were loyal citizens of El Paso, Texas and Loyal employees of the Butterfield Overland Mail Co.
When all Federal troops in Texas had been surrendered by General Twiggs to the Confederacy, when the war department had withdrawn all the federal troops from west of the Rio Grande in Arizona, now New Mexico, . . . — Map (db m37902) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — 3688 — Old B'Nai Zion Synagogue |
| | Congregation B'Nai Zion was chartered in 1900, and the 35 members initially met in private homes or rented space. This building, the first Jewish synagogue in El Paso, was completed in 1912. The structure features an unusual combination of classical and Gothic revival styling. After B'Nai Zion congregation moved to larger facilities in 1927, this building housed El Paso's First Eastern Orthodox Church. St. Nicholas Greek Church worshiped here for a quarter of a century.
Recorded . . . — Map (db m60722) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — Oldest Mission in Texas |
| | Originally founded in 1613 at Isleta Pueblo, in New Mexico, and dedicated in 1621 as San Antonio De Isleta. Removed to El Paso area, 1680 (during Pueblo revolt), by Tigue Indians who brought along the Patron Saint as they accompanied fleeing Spaniards.
Re-established here in 1682. It has been named successively: Sacramento De Los Tiquas De Ysleta; Corpus Christi De Los Tiquas De Ysleta (1691); San Antonio De los Tiquas De Ysleta (1744); and Nuestra Senora Del Carmen (1874). Present Chapel . . . — Map (db m37958) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — Pioneer Plaza |
| | Pioneer Plaza was the center of public activity in early El Paso. A United States military guard was posted here in the late 1870s to defend citizens from Apache Indian attacks, and military bands performed in the plaza.
An irrigation ditch flowed along the south boundary of the plaza and nourished a line of trees which shaded the area. Among the trees was an ash known as the "Newspaper Tree" on which public notices were posted.
Major roads and trails passed through the plaza. El Paso . . . — Map (db m37807) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — San Antonio De Senecu |
| | Approximate site of
the Mission and Pueblo of
San Antonio
De Senecu
Established by Don Antonio De Otermin and Father Fray Francisco Ayeta. O.F.M. in 1682 - maintained by Franciscan missionaries for the civilizing and christianizing of Piro and Tompiro Indians. — Map (db m37951) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — San Jacinto Plaza |
| | In 1857, W. T. Smith sold his property which he called "The Town of El Paso" for $6500.00. The buyers were J. S. and H. S. Gillette, J. F. Crosby, J. W. Morton and V. St. Vrain; they had it surveyed by Anson Mills. The map showed downtown El Paso much as it is today, including a "public square" which they donated to the future city of El Paso, incorporated in 1873. This plot of ground, a haven for the weary traveler, has seen and heard the life of this area march by since Spanish colonial . . . — Map (db m37799) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — Scenic Drive |
| | As early as 1881, El Paso leaders promoted the idea of creating a place along the base of the Franklin Mountains to provide visitors a panoramic view of the area. The automobile brought new attention to the idea, and in 1920, the city council and Mayor Charles Davis approved construction of a scenic drive. Finished in October 1920, the route became a popular attraction. The 1.82-mile drive reaches an elevation of 4,222 feet, 500 feet above the Rio Grande. In 1932, the city contracted to widen . . . — Map (db m37872) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — Singer Building |
| | Completed in 1928 for the Singer Company, this Spanish colonial revival style structure was designed by noted El Paso architect Henry Trost. For more than 50 years the ground floor served as Singer's Retail Store, while the second story was occupied by a school for seamstresses. Constructed of reinforced concrete, the building features a corner tower with red tile roof, iron grillwork, and the Singer crest above the eastern upper-story window. — Map (db m37797) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — Site of United States Courthouse |
| |
[In English Translation:]
The United States Courthouse, which stood on this site from 1892 to 1936, was the scene of hundreds of arraignments, hearings and trials during the Mexican Revolution. Some of these legal proceedings involved Magónistas, or radical Liberal Party followers of Ricardo Flores Magón, who called for armed revolts against the Díaz regime. After their failed uprisings in 1906 and 1908, Ricardo Flores Magón and his brother Enrique were indicted for . . . — Map (db m37916) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — Smeltertown |
| | The Kansas City Consolidated Smelting and Refining Company came to El Paso in the late 19th century, creating a mining and smelting center for the Southwest. In 1899, the American Smelting and Refining Company (ASARCO) bought the operation and refined lead, copper and other ores. The need for a large labor pool brought in thousands of Mexican immigrants; these workers established homes for their families on company land around the smelter and developed a dynamic community called Smeltertown, or . . . — Map (db m38098) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — Southwestern General Hospital |
| | In the late 1800s medical treatment of Tuberculosis called for isolation of the patient and complete rest. After the turn of the century research showed that bacteria responsible for the transmission of the communicable disease could be destroyed by sunlight. The dry, sunny climate proved to be ideal for the establishment of sanatoriums and treatment centers specializing in "sun cures."
In 1907, a tubercular patient, former New Orleans postmaster David Baldwin, opened the Albert Balwin . . . — Map (db m37935) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — 5090 — Stage Station |
| | This block was the site of the stage station of the Southern Overland Mail line which connected St. Louis and San Francisco with a semi-weekly stage and mail service, 1858-1861. — Map (db m60719) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — Stephen Tyng Mather — July 4, 1867 - Jan. 22, 1930 |
| | He laid the foundation of the National Park Service defining and establishing the policies under which its areas shall be developed and conserved unimpaired for future generations. There will never come an end to the good that he has done. — Map (db m37948) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — Texas Western College/ The Peace Grove |
| | Texas Western College
In 1913 the Texas Legislature authorized the establishment of the School of Mines and Metallurgy as a branch of the University of Texas at El Paso. The name of this great co-educational, cultural and economic asset was changed to Texas Western College in 1949. On its campus, and among attractive Bhutanese-style buildings, is located the 30,000 seat capacity Sun Bowl stadium.
The Peace Grove
Beyond TWC in Mexico is the famous Peace Grove on the banks of the . . . — Map (db m37932) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — The Chamizal Settlement |
| | A change in the course of the Rio Grande in the 1860s in the vicinity of El Paso - Ciudad Juarez transferred less than one square mile from the south side of the river to the north side, yet it resulted in an international land dispute as tough and thorny as its namesake, the native Chamizo bush. It was the subject of international arbitration in 1911. This 100 year old "Chamizal" dispute was settled by treaty between the United States of America and the United Mexican States signed August 29, . . . — Map (db m37893) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — The City of El Paso / Ciudad Juarez, Mexico |
| |
Before you stands
The City of El Paso
in the valley of the Rio Grande
and across is
Ciudad Juarez, Mexico
To the far right is the river's southern exit
through the famed Pass of the North from which
El Paso takes its name.
This is historic ground. Here primitive men, from immemorial time, marched along the course of the Rio Grande's life giving waters. Here at this stony pass questing men in the wilderness found the most accessible and strategic gateway through the . . . — Map (db m37931) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — The First Kindergarten in Texas |
| | was established by the Woman's Club of El Paso in 1892. Two years before formal organization, Mrs. Ernest Kohlberg, with the aid of Mrs. J. E. Townsend and Mrs. H. A. True advanced the idea.
Classes were held in Central School building. This was one of the club's many outstanding and continuing contributions to the civic and cultural advancement of our city. — Map (db m37806) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — The First United States Soldiers to Be Stationed at the Pass of the North — 1848 – 1948 |
| | By authority of War Department Orders of November 7, 1848
The First United States Soldiers
to be stationed at the Pass of the North
Camped in this Area
Regimental Headquarters and Six Companies
of the Third Infantry
Major Jefferson Van Horne Commanding
arrived in El Paso September 8, 1849,
to establish the New Post,
Designated the Post of El Paso — Map (db m37903) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — The Franklin Mountains |
| | Cabeza de Vaca Peak, elevation 7,152, is eight miles north from where you stand on the scenic point. History records that these rugged limestone mountains, from which stones were hewn and spring water was drawn to build El Paso, were named for the early-day settler, Franklin Coontz.
The southern point of these mountains has served through the centuries as a beckoning guidepost to a friendly haven for the natives, weary pioneers and modern-day travelers.
Here the first lighted air-beacon . . . — Map (db m37891) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — The Martin Building |
| | This seven-story commercial building was constructed in 1917 by businessmen M. D. Roberts and William Martin Banner, for whom it was named. Designed by the architectural firm of Brauhton and Leibert, it features Chicago style detailing in the use of decorative terra cotta and large windows. Early occupants included the El Paso Electric Railway Company, several doctors, and the El Paso Electric Company, later owner of the building. — Map (db m37954) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — 529 — The Mormon Plot in Concordia Cemetery |
| | The leaders of The Church of Jesus-Christ of Latter-Day Saints were looking to Mexico as a possible colonization site. By the spring of 1875, nearly 100 pages of selected passages from the Book of Mormon had been translated into Spanish for the dual purpose of preaching the gospel and locating possible colonization sites. In the fall of 1879, Moses Thatcher was sent to Mexico for further colonization.
In early 1885, Mormon President John Taylor designated a gathering place for . . . — Map (db m38069) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — 5407 — The Rainmakers of 1891 |
| | Working on the theory that explosives could cause rainfall because many war battles had been followed by rain, the U.S. Department of Agriculture conducted experiments in rainmaking. During a West Texas drought in 1891 the agency brought the experiment to Midland, with some success. Desperate for rain, El Paso city leaders convinced the Department to come here and try the same procedure. On September 18, some 370 charges of dynamite and other explosives were fired from the heights of Mt. . . . — Map (db m4788) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — The Rio Grande Irrigation Project |
| | To the southeast is the El Paso - Juarez Valley.
Here, and in the adjoining valley north of the pass, agricultural production of cotton and other crops is among the highest on the continent. This is a tribute to the stalwart men who put to their best use the great life-giving elements of this area, the fertile soils, the sunshine, and the waters of the Rio Grande.
The lands were first irrigated in the 17th century by the Spanish padres, but their crops were often lost due to floods in the . . . — Map (db m37892) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — The Rio Grande Rectification Project |
| | Ahead is the Rio Grande. This great river formed the valley in the vista before you. Its meandering course was established as the boundary between the United States and Mexico by treaty in 1848.
The straight channel in the foreground is a portion of a unique international project. Here two nations joined hands in 1933 to peacefully rectify and stabilize their common boundary, and to relieve flood dangers in both countries. The channel was straightened by cutting across the old meanders to . . . — Map (db m37888) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — The Woman's Club of El Paso |
| | The Study Circle of 1889 became the Current Topics Club when formally organized in May of 1894 in the home of Mrs. W. W. Mills, 310 San Francisco Street. In the fall of this year the club began meeting in the library room of Miss Mary I. Stanton in the Sheldon Block, now the site of the Hilton Hotel. Mrs. Mills was the first president. In 1899 the name was changed to the Woman's Club of El Paso. — Map (db m37805) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — William Beaumont General Hospital /Biggs Air Force Base / Fort Bliss |
| |
[Left:]
William Beaumont General Hospital
This famous army hospital opened in 1921 and was named for Major & Surgeon William Beaumont, who distinguished himself as an army surgeon during the war of 1812. Later his observations of the stomach of Alexis St. Martin, which was exposed by a gunshot wound, made great and lasting contributions to the knowledge of the physiology of human digestion. He served this nation well, as does the hospital which bears his name. . . . — Map (db m37874) HM |
| Texas (El Paso County), El Paso — Ysleta Plaza |
| |
[Marker Front - English Translation]:
The present site of the Ysleta Neighborhood Health Clinic was part of the earliest Native American settlement associated with a Spanish Mission in the State of Texas, circa 1680 – 1750 A.D.
In 1989-1980, archaeologists conducted excavation and historic documentation prior to construction of the Ysleta Neighborhood Health Clinic. Research indicated that the original inhabitants of Ysleta migrated from Isleta Pueblo near Albuquerque to . . . — Map (db m38088) HM |
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