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TORNILLO, TEXAS
El
Paso County,
West Texas
31°26'22"N 106°5'44"W (31.439308, -106.095580)
State Hwy 20 and the Southern Pacific Railroad
2 Miles S of I-10
About 35 Miles S of El Paso
the county seat
2 Miles above the Mexican Border
Population: 1,568 (2010) 1,609 (2000)
Book Hotel Here › El
Paso Hotels |
History in
a Pecan Shell
Named
after a tree related to the Mesquite that was once harvested here
for fuel in El Paso, the site
was a planned development put together by El
Paso businessmen in 1909.
The U.S. Government was planning to dam the Rio Grande and it seemed
like a good time to irrigate what had been barren land.
A post office was applied for and granted in 1909. After the completion
of the Elephant Butte Dam and Reservoir in 1916, the valley lands
of El Paso County
were officially organized as the Rio Grande Irrigation Project. Although
Tornillo was the last to be improved, it became the center of its
region and in time, the cotton gin at Torniillo became the largest
in the state, processing 90 percent of the cotton produced in the
El Paso valley.
The community's population peaked at 280 in the early 1930s, dropping
to just 100 in 1933 as the Great Depression took hold. But by 1935
it had risen back to 250 where it has more or less remained for decades
The area has (since 1970) branched out into growing pecans. The proximity
to I-10 has had a negative effect on Tornillo's business district
and many residents commute to work in El
Paso, yet from the 1990 census count of 24, it has grown to 1,609
for the 2000 census. |
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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 and
recent or vintage/historic photos, please contact
us.
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