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El Paso County TX
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EL PASO, TEXAS


El Paso County Seat, West Texas

31° 47' 25" N, 106° 25' 24" W (31.790278, -106.423333)

Interstate 10, Hwy 62 / 180
On the state-line to New Mexico
Across the border from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico

573 miles from Austin
617 miles from Dallas
730 miles from Houston
548 miles from San Antonio
795 miles from Texarkana
835 miles from Orange
Population: 678,815 (2020)
649,121 (2010) 563,662 (2000)


Book Hotel Here › El Paso Hotels

Franklin Mountains, El Paso, Texas
View Of Franklin Mountains from the El Paso County courthouse.
Photo courtesy Terry Jeanson, December 2005

El Paso, Texas Topics:

  • History in a Pecan Shell
  • Landmarks/Attractions
  • Vintage Images
  • El Paso Chronicles
  • El Paso County Courthouses next page
  • El Paso’s Beautiful People: 1921-1946 next page
  • Camino Real National Scenic Byway next page
  • El Paso Hotels › Book Here



  • History in a Pecan Shell

    The History and Culture of El Paso go back to 1598 and earlier. El Paso and Ciudad Juarez are the largest border cities on the Texas/ Mexico border. The battles fought for control of Juarez during the Mexican Revolution were observed with great interest by El Pasoans who stood on freight cars to watch. The story is told that the victorious Francisco "Pancho" Villa (after accepting the surrender of the Federal troops) invited the defeated General to dinner in El Paso. The defeated general accepted, but they started fighting again - this time over who would pay the check.

    The El Paso of the 1870s and 80s also provided many chapters (many of them final chapters) in the lives of some of the most well-known Texas gunfighters. Dallas Stoudenmire, John Wesley Hardin, his assassin John Selman and Bass Outlaw to mention a few. J. W. Hardin is buried in El Paso's Concordia Cemetery.

    El Paso, Texas Landmarks/ Attractions



     El Paso County Courthouse Texas
    Photo courtsy Terry Jeanson, December 2005
    El Paso County Courthouses
    El Paso County has had seven courthouses


    El Paso TX - Union Station
    Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, August 2005
    El Paso Union Station
    Behind the Convention Center


    Equestrian statue in El Paso Texas
    "The Equestrian"
    Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, January 2007
    Plutoed in El Paso!
    or
    The World's Largest Blue Horse as White Elephant
    by Brewster Hudspeth

  • Fort Bliss

  • Concordia Cemetery - The El Paso of the 1870s and 80s provided many chapters (many of them final chapters) in the lives of some of the most well-known Texas gunfighters. Dallas Stoudenmire, John Wesley Hardin, his assassin John Selman and Bass Outlaw to mention a few. J. W. Hardin is buried here.
    "From the Chinese section to the poorest graves marked only by a cross made from two pieces of rebar, a very strong feeling of the past is evoked, despite (or maybe because of) its change into an urban setting with adjacent freeway overpasses." - Chris Abbott.

  • Chamizal National Memorial - 915-532-7273
    Paisano St. and San Marcial St.

  • El Paso Speedway Park - Auto racing, 915-857-3478

  • El Paso Zoo - 915-521-1850. Admissions.
    4001 E. Paisano St. near the Bridge of the Americas.
    www.elpasozoo.org

  • Juarez, Mexico

  • The Missions of the Lower Valley

  • Wyler Aerial Tramway
    1700 McKinley El Paso, Texas 79930
    (915) 566-6622

    Book Hotel > El Paso Hotels

  • El Paso TX Centennial Museum
    Photo courtesy Russell Johnson, 2008
    El Paso Centennial Museum

    Museums:

  • El Paso Centennial Museum - 915-747-5565
    University Ave. and Wiggings Rd.
    University of Texas at El Paso campus.

  • The Border Patrol Museum - 915-759-6060
    4315 Transmountain Rd. (Loop 375)

  • El Paso Holocaust Museum and Study Center - 915-584-4202

  • El Paso Museum of Art - 915-532-1707
    Kress Collection, and Mexican and Southwestern art.
    Tues. - Sat. 10AM - 5PM, Sun. 1-5PM
    Santa Fe St. and San Antonio St.

  • El Paso Museum of History - 915-759-8585
    I-10 and Loop 375

  • The Natural History Museum

    Book Hotel Here > El Paso Hotels



  • State Parks: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us

  • Hueco Tanks State Park
    6900 Hueco Tanks Road No 1, El Paso TX 79938
    915/857-1135

  • Franklin Mountains State Park
    1331 McKelligon Canyon Road, El Paso TX 79930
    915/566-6441

  • Magoffin Home State Historical Park
    1120 Magoffin Avenue, El Paso TX 79901
    915/533-5147



  • Camino Real National Scenic Byway

    by Delbert Trew
    The old road "Camino Real" or Royal Road may not be the oldest road in America but was completed in 1598... It begins at the San Juan Pueblo in northern New Mexico, goes 400 miles south to El Paso then on another 1,200 miles to Mexico City. The U.S. designated it a National Scenic Byway...

    Book Hotel > El Paso Hotels



    More El Paso Landmarks

    Architecturally, El Paso has many (but not all) of West Texas' crown jewels. Included are the Bassett Tower (c.1930), The Hotel Cortez (1926), The Kress Building (1937) The Alhambra Theater (1914), The Merrick Building (1887), the Railroad Station and El Paso High.

    Bassett Tower, El Paso, Texas


    Bassett Tower c.1930
    Old postcard


    St Patrick's Cathedral El Paso Texas
    St Patrick's Cathedral El Paso Texas
    Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, 2005


    Ysleta Tx - Mission De Corpus Cristo Del Sur
    Ysleta Mission de Corpus Cristo del Sur
    The oldest parish in Texas

    Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, October 2004


    El Paso TX Kress building
    Kress Building in El Paso
    Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, May 2009
    See Kress Buildings Across Texas & America


    Dam at Elephant Butte, on Rio grande, near  E Paso
    Dam at Elephant Butte, on Rio grande, near El Paso
    Postcard courtesy www.rootsweb.com/ %7Etxpstcrd/


    El Paso, Texas Chronicles

    El Paso’s Beautiful People: 1921-1946
    Photographer Alfonso Casasola and The Casasola Photo Collection
  • Victor Espinoza posthumously awarded Medal of Honor by Murray Montgomery

  • The Newspaper Tree by Mike Cox

  • El Paso's Austin High School 1943 Yearbook by Mike Cox

  • Padre Island Considered Atomic Test Site by Mike Cox
    July 16, 1945 saw three dawns. At 5:29.45 a.m. Mountain War Time, scientists detonated the world’s first atomic bomb 171 miles north of El Paso at a site on the Alamogordo Bombing and Gunnery Range in New Mexico... more.

  • Sal del Rey by Delbert Trew
    "This historic old salt lake... has been providing 99 2/5 percent pure salt since before America was discovered. It covers about 640 acres... more "

  • El Paso and the Battle of Juarez by Mike Cox ("Texas Tales" column)
    On June 29, during a gun battle in Juarez, Mexico, seven stray AK 47 rifle rounds flew across the Rio Grande and hit city hall in downtown El Paso... Nearly a hundred years have gone by since the last time it happened...

  • Border Patrol Shootout on the Rio Grande El Paso (1916)
    from "Border Patrol: With the U.S. Immigration Service on the Mexican Boundary 1910-54" by Clifford Alan Perkins

  • 1918 Flu by Mike Cox ("Texas Tales" column)
    " In El Paso, east-west railroad traffic and the routine rotation of troops at Fort Bliss carried the disease to the Southwestern desert, an area generally noted for its healthfulness. On September 30, 1918, El Paso papers casually noted that some people in the city had the flu, but the situation worsened daily.... more"

  • Storm of 1895 by Mike Cox ("Texas Tales" column)
    "... In a good year, which is to say an average year, the city at the Pass of the North enjoys only nine inches of rain. But in the spring of 1895, what fell from the sky was dust... more "

  • Bombsite by Mike Cox ("Texas Tales" column)
    July 16, 1945 saw three dawns.
    At 5:29.45 a.m. Mountain War Time, scientists detonated the world’s first atomic bomb 171 miles north of El Paso at a site on the Alamogordo Bombing and Gunnery Range in New Mexico.

  • The Lady in Blue by Bob Bowman ("All Things Historical" column)

  • Death Notice by Mike Cox ("Texas Tales" column)
    William A. Keleher’s first assignment as a Times staff writer was what’s known as a death watch. General Victoriano Huerta, former Mexican president, had been living in exile in El Paso. But the 73-year-old newsmaker would not be living anywhere much longer. When Huerta died on Jan. 13, 1916, Keleher wrote the obit. It appeared on page one the following morning. Positive as that was, it turned out to be the last newspaper story Keleher ever wrote. ... more

  • Walking among the dead - Richard Andis and Concordia Cemetery, El Paso, Texas by Mike Cox

  • Early Railroad Trip from San Antonio to El Paso by Mike Cox

  • Bobby Fuller by Clay Coppedge
    He played the teen venues in El Paso and billed himself "The Southwest King of Rock and Roll." The El Paso Herald Post in 1964 declared, "England has the Beatles, but El Paso has Bobby." ... more

  • The Bullet that Killed John Wesley Hardin by Mike Cox


    Cartoons by Roger T. Moore:
  • Texas' First Thanksgiving Feast
  • Salt Warriors:
    Insurgency on the Rio Grande

    by Paul Cool

    An award-winning history of the El Paso Salt War


    El Paso, Texas
    Vintage Photos & Postcards


    El Paso TX Scenic Drive View
    Scenic drive view of El Paso
    Postcard courtesy www.rootsweb.com/ %7Etxpstcrd/

    Historical Marker
    Murchison Park - Scenic Point on Scenic Drive:

    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 and pave the road, and in 1934, Civilian Conservation Corps Company 855 (Fort Bliss) carried out additional culvert work. Scenic Drive continues to attract visitors to the view of El Paso, Ciudad Juárez and the surrounding Chihuahuan desert.
    (2004)

    El PasoTX Mountain Franklin
    Mountain Franklin
    Postcard courtesy www.rootsweb.com/ %7Etxpstcrd/


    El Paso TX - Fort Bliss
    Fort Bliss
    Postcard courtesy www.rootsweb.com/ %7Etxpstcrd/

    Historical Marker:

    Fort Bliss

    The post of El Paso was created in 1848 and after four moves, came to its present location in 1893. In 1854, the post was named Fort Bliss for Lt. Col. W. W. S. Bliss. His remains are buried there and a monument stands in his name. Early day troops protected caravans and settlers from the Indians, and its garrisons also served valiantly in the Spanish American War, World Wars I and II and the Korean conflict. It is now the home of the great U.S. Army Air Defense Center.
    1962

    El Paso TX - Fort Bliss dress parade
    Fort Bliss dress parade
    Barracks in the background

    Postcard courtesy www.rootsweb.com/ %7Etxpstcrd/


    El Paso TX - Fort Bliss 1918
    Fort Bliss 1918
    Postcard courtesy www.rootsweb.com/ %7Etxpstcrd/


    El Paso TX - Red Cross Canteen WWII
    Red Cross Canteen WWII
    Postcard courtesy www.rootsweb.com/ %7Etxpstcrd/


    El Paso, TX - US Army Wagon Train Crossing Rio Grande River
    US Army Wagon Train Crossing Rio Grande River
    Click on image to enlarge
    Courtesy The Will Beauchamp Collection


    Suspension Bridge Over The Rio Grande, El Paso, Texas

    Foot Bridge on Rio Grande River, El Paso, Texas
    (From Gallery of Forgotten Texas Bridges )



    El Paso TX International Bridge Trolly 1927
    Old International Bridge Trolly, 1927
    Postcard courtesy www.rootsweb.com/ %7Etxpstcrd/


    El Paso TX - International Bridge
    International Bridge
    Between Ciudad Juarez, Mexico and El Paso, Texas

    Postcard courtesy www.rootsweb.com/ %7Etxpstcrd/


    El Paso, Texas - President Porfirio Díaz in line of Parade, Taft-Diaz meeting, 1909
    President Porfirio Díaz in line of Parade, Taft-Diaz meeting,
    El Paso, Texas, Oct. 16th, 1909

    Postcard courtesy www.rootsweb.com/ %7Etxpstcrd/


    El Paso TX Orchestra
    Professor Valles and his famous Mexican Tipica Orchestra
    Postcard courtesy www.rootsweb.com/ %7Etxpstcrd/


    El Paso TX - Street 1882
    El Paso Street, 1882
    Postcard courtesy www.rootsweb.com/ %7Etxpstcrd/


    El Paso TX - Street , 1906
    El Paso Street scene, 1906
    Postcard courtesy www.rootsweb.com/ %7Etxpstcrd/


    El Paso TX - Street Scene with street car
    "Scene along the sunset route"
    El Paso street scene with street car

    Postcard courtesy www.rootsweb.com/ %7Etxpstcrd/


    El Paso TX night street scene at night, old postcard
    "Great White Way" of El Paso, best lighted city in Texas
    Postcard courtesy www.rootsweb.com/ %7Etxpstcrd/


    El Paso TX - Mill Street
    "The Mill Street Frontage to San Jacinto Plaza is the heart of El Paso"
    Postcard courtesy www.rootsweb.com/ %7Etxpstcrd/



    El Paso as Movie Location

    El Paso also has a film commission. Recent films in and around El Paso have been scenes from Dead Man's Walk (Salt Flat), Courage Under Fire, Blue Sky (an appropriate title) and the recent Traffic.
    El Paso Tourist Information
    El Paso Convention and Visitor's Bureau:
    915-534-0600
    http://www.elpasocvb.com/
    http://www.elpaso.org/


    Book Hotel Here › El Paso Hotels



    El Paso, Texas Forum

  • Nacogdoches claims to be the oldest town in Texas, using 1716 as the date. Now, the Dallas Morning News Texas Almanac and the Univ Texas Handbook of Texas, on line, say it 'aint so. They say Ysleta and Socorro of ElPaso were est. ~ 1680-2, which is an earlier date even using public school math. I suspect there's some 'school pride' in this Nacogdoches-ites claim, but is there a real, non-tall-tale truth for claiming to be the oldest? Or maybe Mr. Bowman has this covered somewhere? - J R Overton, May 04, 2004

  • You don't know how glad I was to find this article...thanks so much. It is really a great piece of history right in our backyard. - Joshua, 19/Jun/2002



  • El Paso County TX 1940 Map
    El Paso County 1940s Map
    Courtesy Texas General Land Office

    Take a road trip

    West Texas

    El Paso, Texas Nearby Towns:
    See El Paso County | Hudspeth County

    Related Area:
    Mexico

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    Texas Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories, landmarks and recent or vintage photos, please contact us.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     


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