El Paso, Texas

You're driving through El Paso, and right here is the historic Hotel Cortez. Alzina DeGroff bought the original hotel in 1899, and later, architect Henry C. Trost designed this Spanish eclectic building that opened in…

You're driving past First Church Building in El Paso, Site of. On January 29, 1882, members of Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church, South, first met in their new sanctuary at this site. Built under the leadership of the…

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,…

Believe it or not, this unassuming building played a key role in the Mexican Revolution. In 1910, Francisco Madero, the leader of the revolution, used the Richard Caples Building as his headquarters. From here, he…

You're cruising through El Paso, a city with a story stretching back over four hundred years! Long before Spaniards arrived in the 16th century, Native American tribes called this place home. El Paso del Norte, meaning…

You're driving through downtown El Paso, and right here is Pioneer Plaza. Back in the late 1870s, this was the heart of the city. A U.S. military guard was stationed here to protect folks from Apache raids, and you…

You're cruising through El Paso, and right here is the Singer Building, completed way back in 1928. Designed by the famous El Paso architect Henry Trost, this Spanish colonial revival gem housed the Singer company's…

You're driving through El Paso, a city that once hosted the largest Chinese community in Texas. Arriving around <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1881</say-as>, these immigrants opened businesses like grocery…

You're driving through El Paso, and right here is the historic Hotel Paso Del Norte. <break time="400ms"/> Businessman Zach White saw El Paso's potential as a gateway to Mexico back in <say-as interpret-as="date"…

You're driving past Felix Martinez. In the early twentieth century, Felix Martinez was a prominent Hispanic businessman who worked closely with Anglo American leaders to transform El Paso into a major commercial,…

You're driving past the site of a vital link in the old West's communication network. This block was the stage station for the Southern Overland Mail line. For a few short years, from 1858 to 1861, this was a busy hub…

On April 14, 1881, El Paso’s reputation as a wild west town was sealed in blood. The event started when a local constable was shot trying to mediate a dispute. Hearing the gunfire, the newly hired City Marshal, Dallas…

Imagine your country's border just… moving. That's what happened here in El Paso. The 1848 treaty with Mexico set the Rio Grande as the border, but it didn't account for floods. In 1864, a massive flood dramatically…

How do you solve a 100-year-long border dispute caused by a wandering river? With a massive feat of civil engineering. That was the solution to the Chamizal Dispute between the U.S. and Mexico. The Rio Grande naturally…

During the Mexican Revolution in the 1910s, El Paso wasn't just a border town; it was a front-row seat to the war. The city was a hub for spies, gunrunners, refugees, and revolutionaries, including the famous Pancho…

When you think of Texas history, you might think of the Alamo. But a community here in El Paso is much older. In 1680, the Pueblo Revolt forced Spanish colonists and their Christianized Pueblo allies to flee New Mexico.…

About 100 miles east of El Paso lie vast, natural salt flats. For centuries, local Hispanic residents had harvested the salt for free, considering it a communal resource provided by God. But in the 1870s, a group of…

As you drive along Interstate 10 on the west side of El Paso, you’re passing the former site of a giant. For 112 years, the ASARCO copper smelter stood here, its smokestacks towering over the US-Mexico border. It was an…

You're driving through El Paso, and right here, you're passing through the heart of what was once Magoffinsville. Founded in 1849 by James Wiley Magoffin, this was one of the key settlements in the area. Magoffin, a…

You're driving past the site of El Paso's very first Jewish synagogue, the B'Nai Zion. Chartered in 1900 by just 35 members who met in homes, they built this striking structure, completed in 1912. Notice the unusual mix…

You're driving through El Paso, a city shaped by a wave of Syrian-Lebanese immigrants who arrived between 1880 and 1924. Many came through Mexico, finding opportunity here and establishing grocery and dry goods…

You're driving past El Paso's Union Plaza Transit Terminal, and right here is a survivor from America's steam railroading past: Old Number One. Built in 1857, this locomotive is a 'Classic American' 4-4-0, originally…

You're driving through downtown El Paso, and right here is San Jacinto Plaza, a spot that's been the heart of this city since its earliest days. Back in 1857, this land was sold and designated as a public square for the…

You're driving past El Paso, where a shoemaker named Trinidad Concha left his mark on music history. Known as the 'singing cobbler,' Concha blended Mexican folk and orchestral sounds, creating music loved by many. He…

You're driving past the Burges House in El Paso. Built in 1912 for prominent attorney Richard Fenner Burges, this home saw tragedy strike its construction. Burges's wife, Ethel, died during the building process. Later,…

You're driving through El Paso, and right here, you're passing over a significant piece of engineering history with a powerful name. This is the Bataan Memorial Trainway. Before it was built, railroad tracks split…

You're driving through El Paso's Old San Francisco Historic District. Most of these apartment buildings, constructed between 1908 and 1923, are made of brick, stone, or wood and share similar architectural styles. The…

You're driving past the site of El Paso's First Baptist Church. The congregation first met in 1882 at the home of the Fewel family, and was chartered with 22 members. They've built several sanctuaries over the years,…

You're driving past the site of the First Christian Church of El Paso. Organized in 1885 by Philip Miner with thirteen members, the congregation has built several sanctuaries over the years, helping to establish other…

You're driving through El Paso, and right here is the Houchen Community Center, a place with over a century of service. It started back in 1893 when Rose Gregory Houchen, a teacher from Michigan, met Margaret Tripp, a…

You're driving past the El Paso home of Olga Kohlberg, a German immigrant who became a powerhouse civic leader. Arriving in 1884, she co-founded early versions of the El Paso Woman's Club and was instrumental in…

This depot connects El Paso to the nation, and its architect also designed Washington Union Station. Built between 1905 and 1906, the El Paso Union Depot was designed by Daniel Burnham. The station served as a vital…

You're driving past the former home of Dr. S. T. Turner, a key figure in El Paso's medical history. He arrived in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1889</say-as> to serve as a contract physician for the railroad.…

You're driving past the El Paso Union Passenger Station, built between 1904 and 1905. Designed by the famous Chicago firm Daniel H. Burnham, who also designed Washington D.C.'s Union Station, this building was the hub…

You're driving past the historic Woman's Club of El Paso. What started in 1895 as the Child Culture Study Circle aimed to improve the community's physical, intellectual, and moral conditions. Three years later, it…

You're driving through El Paso, where getting a drink of water used to be a lot more complicated. For years, residents relied on open irrigation ditches, the acequias, or water carriers. But in 1882, Sylvester Watts…

You're driving past the Wallace Apartments in El Paso, built back in 1903. It was designed by Edward Kneezell, one of El Paso's earliest architects, and originally featured five-room apartments. Notice the unique…

El Paso (El Paso, TX) placed on the 5A Texas high school baseball stat leaderboards for the 2026 season: Moises Castanon (0.500 avg); Austin Slagel (0.453 avg, 1 HR).

Pull over for a minute; you're about to see the house that architect Henry C. Trost built for himself! This wasn't just any house; it was his personal statement, a place where he could experiment with the styles that…

You're driving past Chihuahuita, El Paso's "Little Chihuahua." It started way back in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1818</say-as> with Ricardo Brusuelas' Spanish land grant. After the Rio Grande became the…

You're driving past Sunset Heights. Originally platted as Satterthwaite's addition to the city of El Paso, Sunset Heights was one of the first planned residential subdivisions in the country. New York native J. Fisher…

You're driving past El Paso High School, a building that's more than just bricks and mortar. Completed in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1916</say-as>, it was the very first dedicated high school facility in El…

You're driving past the site of the very first Fort Bliss, established way back on September 14th, 1849. Initially called Post El Paso, it was garrisoned by the Third United States Infantry. The fort was moved and…

You're driving past Tays Place, El Paso's oldest surviving public housing project, a New Deal initiative funded by President Roosevelt. Opened in 1941, it was also El Paso's only formally segregated public housing, with…

You're driving past the site of El Paso's First Presbyterian Church, a congregation that's been a cornerstone of the community since the early 1880s. Initially, Presbyterians here met in a union tent, but in 1882,…

On March 19, 1966, Texas Western College (now UTEP) started five Black players against all-white Kentucky in the NCAA championship game, winning 72-65 and changing college sports forever.

You're driving past a legend of the road! This is the Camino Real, the Royal Road, which served as the main commercial highway connecting Mexico City to Santa Fe for over two centuries. Imagine wagons laden with goods…

You're driving through El Paso, a city that marks a vital historical pass. For centuries, this was the lowest snow-free route across the Rocky Mountains, connecting the Atlantic to the Pacific. Imagine the explorers,…

You're driving past El Paso, where two men, Captain James W. Magoffin and Major Simeon Hart, played crucial roles in supplying the Confederacy during the Civil War. Magoffin, a seasoned trader with Mexico, became a…

You're driving past a vital artery of early North American history: the Camino Real, the Royal Road. For over two centuries, this route carried goods from Mexico City all the way to Santa Fe. It was first blazed by Juan…

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…

You're driving past Old Main, the very first building on the campus of what's now UTEP. Completed in 1917, its unique Bhutanese style was inspired by a National Geographic article, a vision brought to life by the first…

You're driving past Mount Franklin, the site of a truly desperate scientific experiment. It's 1891, and West Texas is in the grip of a severe drought. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is testing a wild theory: that…

You're cruising along Scenic Drive, a road with a view that's been in the making for over a century! Back in 1881, El Paso leaders dreamed of a place in the Franklin Mountains for a panoramic vista. The automobile age…

You're driving past Guardian Angel Church in El Paso, a beautiful example of Romanesque Revival architecture. This landmark was built in 1908, soon after the church was founded by Father Carlos M. Pinto, a Jesuit priest…

You're driving through El Paso, passing the birthplace of Estela Portillo Trambley. Born in 1926, she was an award-winning writer, playwright, and poet, celebrated for her strong Mexican and Mexican American female…

You're driving past El Paso, and we're talking about Henry O. Flipper, a name etched in history. Born into slavery in Georgia, Flipper shattered barriers, becoming the very first African-American graduate of West Point…

You're driving past Concordia Cemetery in El Paso, a place with a fascinating history of diverse burials. It started in 1856 when Juana Stephenson, wife of trader Hugh Stephenson, was laid to rest here. But it was in…

You're driving past El Paso, where Captain James Harrison White lived a life as wild as the West itself. A Confederate soldier who came to Texas in 1869, White didn't stop there. In the 1870s alone, he served in the…

Hey road trippers, keep your eyes peeled as you roll through El Paso. You're passing the site of Camp Concordia, which quickly became the third Fort Bliss in this area. After the Civil War, the U.S. Army abandoned their…

You're driving past El Paso, where the Franklin Canal once flowed, a massive engineering feat that shaped this valley for over a century. For generations, people have worked the Rio Grande, but by 1889, El Paso…

You're driving past the site of El Paso's legendary Southwestern International Livestock Show and Rodeo! Its roots go back to the 1890s, with early rodeos happening in 1896. By 1929, civic groups were sponsoring…

You're driving through El Paso, and you might be passing one of Mabel Welch's designs right now. Back in the early 1900s, El Paso's original adobe architecture had faded, replaced by common bungalow styles. But Mabel…

You're driving through El Paso, the city where John Wesley Hardin spent his final months. Born in Bonham in 1853, Hardin became a notorious outlaw who claimed over 30 notches on his gun. He saw himself as a man of…

You're driving through El Paso, and the buildings you see all around you owe a huge debt to Henry C. Trost. He was one of the most prolific architects in the entire American Southwest! Born in Ohio, Trost was deeply…

You're driving past the area where Victoriano Huerta, a former President of Mexico, spent his final days. Huerta seized power in Mexico in 1913, but his presidency lasted only a year before he resigned and went into…

You're driving through El Paso, and if you look up toward the southwest, you might see the "Cristo Rey" statue. It was created by the Spanish master sculptor Urbici Soler. He apprenticed in his native Spain, honed his…

You're driving past the site of a failed copper smelter that once fueled El Paso's early industry. In 1899, investors formed the Federal Copper Company, and by 1901, their smelter was processing ore from across the…

You're driving past the site of the first Latter-Day Saints ward organized in Texas, right here in El Paso in 1918. They met in homes and a rented hall before this chapel, built in 1931, became their home. It's a…

You're cruising through the Pass of the North, a vital artery for North America for centuries. Why? It's the northernmost Rocky Mountain pass that stays snow-free all year! Indigenous peoples knew its value long before…

You're driving past the site of Smeltertown, a community that once thrived right here in El Paso. It all started in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1899</say-as> when the American Smelting and Refining Company,…

This unassuming stone marks the very beginning – or end – of the border between the United States and Mexico. Following the Mexican-American War, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848 established a new boundary. The…

Several Texas highways carry an old honorary name, the Jefferson Davis Highway. It grew out of a plan conceived in nineteen thirteen and promoted by the United Daughters of the Confederacy: a coast to coast road named…

You're driving past the site of San Lorenzo, one of the earliest Spanish missions in what is now Texas. Established way back in 1682 by Don Antonio de Otermin and Father Fray Francisco Ayeta, this mission was all about…

You're driving past the site of the Hendricks-Laws Sanatorium, built in 1914. This was a tuberculosis hospital, drawing patients from all over the U.S. who sought El Paso's high, dry climate. It even housed a unique…

You're driving through El Paso, past the site of the former Radford School. This wasn't just any school for girls; it was founded in 1910 with just 18 students in rented rooms. By 1927, Dr. Lucinda de Leftwich Templin…

The World War Two Veterans Memorial Highway is a name with an odd history. On August first, nineteen forty four, a Texas highway minute order named U S Highway Eighty the Veterans of World War Two Highway, all the way…

You're cruising past the site of the old Fort Bliss, but this isn't about the fort you might know today. Back in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1861</say-as>, Texas Confederates captured the post, along with…

Established in 1848, Fort Bliss was renamed in 1854 to honor Bvt. Lieut. Colonel William W.S. Bliss. It has since grown to become the largest installation in the United States Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) and the…

During World War II, American farms lost most of their workforce to the military and the defense industry. The solution was the Bracero Program, a bilateral agreement between the U.S. and Mexico that brought millions of…

You're driving past the site of Fort Bliss, a military post with a history stretching all the way back to 1849. Initially established in downtown El Paso to secure territory after the U.S.-Mexico War, this fort moved…

You're driving past the site of El Paso's Mesa Water Boosting Station, a critical piece of the city's long struggle for reliable water. Back in 1903, a new mayor promised a better water system, and the International…

You are standing where two very different chapters of Earth's history meet. The massive rock on one side is Red Bluff Granite, formed from magma roughly 1.1 billion years ago. The tilted limestone on the other side…

You're driving past the site of Frontera, a settlement established in August 1848 by T. Frank White. He arrived just after the U.S. acquired this land, setting up a trading post and ranch on the Chihuahua Trail.…

Coronado (El Paso, TX) placed on the 6A Texas high school baseball stat leaderboards for the 2026 season: Walt Mann (4 HR).

In El Paso, Loop Three Seventy Five from Santa Fe Street to Interstate Ten is the Cesar Chavez Border Highway. The Legislature first gave it the name in two thousand one, and in two thousand seven it stretched the name…

Chapin (El Paso, TX) placed on the 5A Texas high school baseball stat leaderboards for the 2026 season: Beckett Babb (0.477 avg, 2 HR); Nathan Sanchez (3 HR); Julian Flores (0.457 avg, 1 HR).

As they approached the Rio Grande from the south, Spanish explorers in the colonial period viewed two mountain ranges rising out of the desert with a deep chasm between. This site they named El Paso del Norte (the Pass…

You're driving near El Paso, and right here is the site of Fort Bliss, a legendary military post that's been a cornerstone of the border defense for over a century and a half. It was first established in 1848, right…

You're driving through El Paso, and right here is the story of Marcelino Serna, one of the most decorated Texans of World War I. Born in Mexico, Serna immigrated to El Paso and found work with the railroad. In 1917, he…

You're driving right through El Paso, a city that hosted a truly historic moment back on October 16, 1909. Imagine this: the very first meeting ever between a United States President and a Mexican President. William…

You're driving through El Paso, home of a legendary basketball upset. It's 1966, and the Texas Western Miners, coached by the famously tough Don 'The Bear' Haskins, are in the NCAA championship game. What makes this…

You're driving through El Paso, right at the western tip of Texas, where the desert meets the Rio Grande. For centuries, this "Pass of the North" has been a vital crossroads. Imagine Spaniards in the 1500s, seeing these…

You're driving near El Paso, and right here, you're passing through what might be the oldest town in Texas: Ysleta. Founded by Spaniards and Native Americans fleeing the Pueblo Revolt back in 1680, it's been…

Lawrence Aaron Nixon, Black physician and voting-rights advocate, was born in Marshall, Texas, on February 9, 1883, the son of Charles and Jennie (Engledow) Nixon. He attended Wiley College in Marshall and received his…

You're driving through El Paso, a city that became home to a remarkable artist, Manuel Acosta. Born in Mexico in 1921, Acosta grew up in El Paso's barrios, his art deeply inspired by the people and scenes around him.…

You're driving through El Paso, a city that owes a lot to the woman they called the 'Iron Lady.' Maria Angela Socorro Grijalva Acosta, known as Lucy, wasn't just a community activist; she was a force. After experiencing…

You're driving through El Paso, and right here, you might be passing by the legacy of Doña Paca Alarcon. Born in Mexico around 1828, she arrived in this region in 1857, a pioneer woman who built a significant life and…

You're driving through El Paso right now, and you're passing a place that owes its start to a man who gave everything he had. Olives Villanueva Aoy arrived here in the late 1880s, finding that hundreds of Mexican…

You're driving through El Paso, Texas, a city that remembers the incredible bravery of Marcos B. Armijo. He was a mechanic and a World War I soldier, inducted right here in El Paso in November of <say-as…

You're driving through El Paso, and right here is where a giant of Texas industry once stood: the ASARCO smelter. It started in 1887, processing lead and copper ores from Mexico and the Southwest. A community called…

You're driving through El Paso, and right here, you're passing through the stomping grounds of Anita Lee Blair, the first blind woman ever elected to a state legislature. In 1936, a car accident left her blind, but she…

You're driving through El Paso, a city that once attracted notorious gunmen like John Wesley Hardin. Right here, in the late 1800s and early 1900s, lawyer William Henry Burges stood up to the town's rowdy reputation. He…

You're driving through West Texas, and right here, you're crossing paths with a legendary route: the Butterfield Overland Mail. From <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1858</say-as> to <say-as interpret-as="date"…

You're driving through El Paso, and right here is where a bitter feud ended in gunfire. Louis Cardis, an Italian immigrant who fought with Garibaldi, made a life here in El Paso. He ran a store, worked on the stage…

You're driving near El Paso, and right here is the site of a decades-long tug-of-war over land between the United States and Mexico. It's called the Chamizal Dispute. It all started because the Rio Grande river, which…

You're driving through El Paso, and right here, in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1892</say-as>, the city was desperate. Tuberculosis was rampant, and there were only ten doctors for nine thousand people. That's…

You're driving through El Paso, a city that owes much of its early development to one man: Benjamin Shacklett Dowell. He arrived here around 1850, working for a rancher on the very land that would become downtown El…

You're driving through El Paso right now, a city that faced a real battle against hate in the 1920s. The Ku Klux Klan had a strong hold on the school board, but one man stood up. Richard Dudley, an engineer who'd built…

You're driving through El Paso, and right here, the international border became a battleground in 1917. It started with a mandatory fumigation for anyone crossing from Juarez. Imagine being doused in gasoline and…

You're driving through El Paso County, a place that's been a vital gateway for centuries. Back in 1598, the Oñate expedition was desperately seeking a shortcut through the desert. They found it right here, a pass…

You're driving through West Texas, and right here, the story of El Paso Natural Gas begins. Back in 1928, a lawyer named Paul Kayser noticed something odd: El Paso was a major Texas city with no natural gas service. He…

You're driving through El Paso, and right here, in January of 1916, the border city exploded. Tensions between American mining interests and Pancho Villa's forces boiled over after Villa's men attacked a train in…

You're driving through El Paso, Texas, the hometown of Victor Hugo Espinoza. He was a Korean War veteran, and on August 1, 1952, his unit was tasked with taking a hill nicknamed 'Old Baldy' in Korea. Under heavy fire,…

You're driving through El Paso, a city that saw one of the most significant labor struggles in Texas history. In May of <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1972</say-as>, thousands of garment workers, almost all…

You're driving through El Paso, and right here is where a garment empire got its start. In 1920, Mansour and Hana Farah, Lebanese immigrants, opened a tiny shop, just 1,250 square feet, selling blue chambray work shirts…

You're driving through West Texas right now, and maybe you've heard of Albert Jennings Fountain. He was a lawyer, a legislator, an Indian fighter, and a civic leader right here in El Paso. But Fountain is most…

You're driving through El Paso, the birthplace of a rock and roll legend. Bobby Fuller was born in Goose Creek, but his musical journey truly began right here in El Paso in the late 1950s. He started with a band called…

You're driving through El Paso, a city that remembers José "Rocky" Galarza. Born in 1930, Galarza was a star athlete, leading the Bowie High School baseball team to the first-ever Texas state championship in 1949. But…

You're driving through El Paso, a city that remembers William Dean Hawkins. He grew up here, even attended the Texas School of Mines. Though he claimed to dislike war, Pearl Harbor pulled him in. As a Marine First…

You're driving through El Paso, a city that's home to a true American hero: Silvestre Santana Herrera. Though born in Mexico, Herrera was raised here in El Paso. Drafted into the U.S. Army during World War II, he chose…

You're driving through West Texas, maybe near El Paso, and you might be passing the territory once patrolled by John "Jack" Reynolds Hughes, the legendary "Border Boss" of the Texas Rangers. Born in Illinois, Hughes…

You're driving through El Paso, a city that once faced a tense standoff with a notorious revolutionary. It's 1914, and Pancho Villa himself is in town, reportedly vowing to kill General Garibaldi. Right here, Mayor…

You're driving through El Paso, and right here, Olga Bernstein Kohlberg was changing education forever. Born in Germany, she moved here with her husband and quickly became a pillar of the community. In 1893, driven by a…

You're driving through West Texas, perhaps near Midland or Odessa, and you're passing over the very ground that sparked a Texas oil boom! Right here, in what is now the Permian Basin, Haymon Krupp and Frank Pickrell…

You're driving through El Paso, and right here, you're passing through a place that was once the target of a notorious outlaw. Thomas Calloway Lea, Jr., served as El Paso's mayor from 1915 to 1917, right when Pancho…

You're driving through West Texas, perhaps near Pecos County, and right here, Victor Ochoa's story played out. Born in Mexico, Ochoa became a US citizen and an activist in El Paso, fighting for the rights of Texas…

You're driving near El Paso, and right here is where one of the biggest disasters in Spanish America unfolded. In August of 1680, the Pueblo Revolt exploded across New Mexico. It was murder, pillage, and devastation.…

You're driving through El Paso, and right here is the birthplace of Oscar Francis Perdomo, a man who made history in the skies during World War II. On August 13, 1945, just days before the war ended, Perdomo became an…

You're driving through El Paso, and right here, you're passing through a place that made history. Mauro Rosas, a Mexican American attorney and veteran, shattered barriers when he was elected to the Texas House of…

You're driving through El Paso, and right here is where a notorious outlaw met his end. John Henry Selman, a man who was both outlaw and lawman, lived a wild life. After a career that included rustling cattle and…

You're driving near El Paso, and right here on the Sierra de Cristo Rey mountain, you can see the monumental sculpture Cristo Rey. It stands forty feet high, a testament to the Spanish sculptor Urbici Soler. He was…

You're driving through El Paso, the birthplace of an American icon: Tony Lama boots. Right here, Tony Lama, Sr., a former army cobbler, started a small shoe-repair shop in 1912. He began making just twenty pairs of…

You're driving through El Paso, the city that Henry Trost helped shape. He arrived here in 1903, already a seasoned architect influenced by masters like Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright. Trost and his brothers…

You're driving through El Paso right now, and you're passing by a campus with a truly unique look. You're seeing the University of Texas at El Paso, home to the only collection of Bhutanese-style architecture in the…

You're driving through El Paso, Texas, a place that became a refuge for a woman known as the "Saint of Cabora." Teresa Urrea was a healer, a young woman who, after a mysterious three-month cataleptic state in Mexico,…

You're driving through El Paso, and right here is the birthplace of María Guillermina Valdes Villalva. Born in 1939, she became a leading scholar and activist focused on the maquiladora industry along the border. She…

You're driving near El Paso, and right here is where a major Texas landmark got its start. In 1849, Jefferson Van Horne led a massive military expedition west from San Antonio. His mission: establish a crucial new army…

You're driving through El Paso, Texas, a place that was home to Thomas Bruce White, a lawman who saw it all. He started with the Texas Rangers, then moved on to work for railroad police before joining the brand new FBI.…

You're driving through El Paso, and right here, you're passing through the legacy of Zach White. He arrived in Texas in 1875, and by the time he got to El Paso in 1880, he was already a success. But El Paso? That's…

You're driving near El Paso, and right here, the story of military medicine in Texas unfolds. It began way back in 1848 with Fort Bliss, a frontier post needing to care for its soldiers. Over the years, Fort Bliss moved…

You're driving through El Paso, and right here is the story of Juana María Ascárate Stephenson. Born in 1800, she inherited vast ranch lands from her Spanish parents, who were pioneers in this region. In 1828, she…

You're driving through El Paso, and right here, in October of 1919, nearly 200 Mexican and Mexican American women walked off the job at Acme Laundry. They were fighting back after two co-workers were fired, but their…

You're driving through El Paso, a city that was home to one of Texas' most remarkable women: Florida J. Wolfe, known as 'Lady Flo.' Born into slavery in Virginia, she found her way to Mexico, where she met and lived…

You're driving through El Paso, Texas, a city that sits right on the border of history. During the turbulent years of the Mexican Revolution and World War I, El Paso wasn't just a customs port; it was a hub for vital…

You're driving through El Paso, a city that became a key player in one of America's biggest political scandals: Teapot Dome. Clarence Cornell Chase, a businessman with ties to mining magnate William Cornell Greene, was…

You're driving through El Paso, and right here is where a baseball legend got his start. Andrew 'Andy' Howard Cohen moved here as a kid, hoping the desert air would help his mother's breathing. He became a star athlete…

You're driving through El Paso right now, but this area was once known as Magoffinsville. Established in 1849 by James Wiley Magoffin, it was the American El Paso, a contrast to the Mexican city across the river.…

You're driving past what was once Smeltertown, an industrial community born in 1887 with the construction of a massive copper and lead smelter right here in El Paso. For decades, families lived and worked in the shadow…

Jimmy Carl Black, musician, drummer, and vocalist, was born James Inkanish, Jr., in El Paso, Texas, on February 1, 1938. An accomplished drummer, Jimmy Carl Black worked with many notable musicians, including Roy…

George Adolphus Scarborough, frontier peace officer, son of George Washington and Martha Elizabeth (Rutland) Scarborough, was born in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, on October 2, 1859. He went to McLennan County,…

Dallas Stoudenmire, gunfighter-cum-lawman, was born on December 11, 1845, in Aberfoil, Macon County, Alabama, to Lewis and Elizabeth Stoudenmire. In 1862 he enlisted in the Confederate Army. He arrived in Columbus,…

Raymond Lorenzo Telles, Jr., was the first Mexican American to be elected as the mayor of a major American city (El Paso) and also the first Mexican American to be appointed as a U.S. Ambassador. He was born Ramón…

Maude Evangeline Craig Sampson Williams, civil rights activist, NAACP leader, educator, suffragist, community organizer and leader, was born in Texas in February 1880 to George Washington Craig and Marie (Sanders)…

Diana Natalicio, educator and university president, was born Eleanor Diana Siedhoff to German-American parents William Siedhoff and Eleanor Josephine Siedhoff in St. Louis, Missouri, on August 25, 1939. Her father was…

Zephyr James Chisom Carter, teacher, civil rights activist, suffragist, and co-founder of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., was born to Milton Chisom, proprietor of the Jockey Club Saloon, and Annie (Ewing) Chisom on…

Juan de la Cruz Machuca, founder of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) in El Paso, educator, and civic leader, son of Maria Garcia and Hilario Machuca, was born in El Indio, Maverick County, Texas, on…

You're driving through North Texas, maybe near El Paso or Dallas, and you might just be passing the hometown of a songwriter whose tunes have been heard on over ten million recordings. Clint Ballard, born Conger C.…

You're driving through El Paso, a city that O. T. Bassett helped shape back in 1880. Arriving by stagecoach, he saw potential, writing in his diary, 'Plenty of room here for a big city.' He helped finance El Paso's…

You're driving through El Paso, a city that owes a lot to remarkable people like Herlinda Wong Chew. Born in Mexico around 1894, she became a savvy businesswoman, a fluent linguist in five languages, and a vital…

You're driving through downtown El Paso right now, but this area was once a sprawling rancho. It started in 1827 as Ponce's Rancho, where Juan María Ponce de León grew grapes and wheat. A flood in 1830 reshaped the land…

You're driving past the Franklin Mountains, and you might be driving through the very spot where Benjamin Franklin Coons tried to strike it rich in the 1840s. He arrived in El Paso in 1848, a merchant who'd led wagon…

You're driving through El Paso, a city that owes much of its existence to a man named Josiah Frazier Crosby. He arrived here in 1852, seeking to recover his health. But Crosby didn't just recover; he dove headfirst into…

You're driving through El Paso, a city that was once wide open, but one man helped clean it up. Waters Davis, son of Governor Edmund J. Davis, arrived here in 1885. Besides being a lawyer and a baseball star – he hit…

You're driving through El Paso, and right here is the El Paso Museum of Art. Its story really begins back in 1925, when a local woman started collecting art for display. The museum officially got its charter in 1930.…

You're driving through El Paso, and right here is a city with a symphony orchestra that's been playing for over a century! The El Paso Symphony Orchestra got its real start in 1930 with the arrival of conductor Hine…

You're driving through El Paso, and right here, this area has been part of five different dioceses, stretching all the way back to Guadalajara, Mexico, in 1620. It wasn't until March of 1914 that the Catholic Diocese of…

You're driving through El Paso, a city that owes a lot to one man: William Johnson Fewel. He arrived here in 1881, just before the railroad, and immediately started building the future. Fewel organized the very first…

You're driving through El Paso right now, a city that became a haven for Mexican revolutionaries at the turn of the last century. One of them was Señora Flores de Andrade. Born wealthy in Mexico, she shocked her family…

You're driving through El Paso, a city shaped by fortunes both lost and found. Right here, Josephine Clardy Fox, born in Missouri in 1881, built a life of art and resilience. Her family’s legal practice in El Paso laid…

You're driving past the Franklin Mountains, a dramatic range that slices right through El Paso. These rugged peaks have a history of hiding outlaws. Back in 1890, deputy United States marshal Charles H. Fussellman was…

You're driving through El Paso, and right here, you're passing by the site of Friendship Square. Back in 1912, the Methodist Church established this community services complex in the Segundo Barrio, aiming to serve the…

You're driving through El Paso, where William Henry Fryer waged a personal war against illegal booze joints during Prohibition. In 1916, he was elected county attorney and immediately launched a crusade against…

You're driving through El Paso, a city that James Price Hague helped shape. He arrived in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1871</say-as>, appointed district attorney for El Paso and Presidio counties. His first…

You're driving through El Paso, and right here is where Simeon Hart, a New York native, built his empire. After fighting in the Mexican-American War, he settled here in 1849 and married into a wealthy flour-milling…

You're driving through El Paso, and right here is where Philemon Herbert, a man with a past, decided to hang his hat. After a stint in the California legislature, and a fatal shooting brawl in Washington D.C. that ended…

You're driving through El Paso, the birthplace of Luis Alfonso Jiménez, Jr., a Tejano sculptor whose work celebrated the borderlands. His father, who illegally crossed the Rio Grande as a boy, became a successful sign…

You're driving through El Paso, and right here is where Ernst Kohlberg, a Prussian immigrant, founded the first cigar factory in the Southwest. He arrived in 1875, thinking this dusty town was 'nearly the end of the…

You're driving through El Paso, a city with a rich history tied to the Confederacy. Joseph Magoffin, born in Mexico in 1837, was a staunch supporter of secession. During the Civil War, he served on the staff of Henry…

You're driving through El Paso, a city that owes a lot to the vision of one man: Felix Martinez. After a career in New Mexico politics and publishing, Martinez moved to El Paso in 1897, seeing it as a land of…

You're driving through El Paso, and right here in the "wonderful nineties," the McGinty Club was the town's chief booster organization. This wasn't your typical club; it was a group of prominent El Paso men who loved to…

You're driving through El Paso, and right here is a city built in large part by the vision and hard work of Robert Eugene McKee. Born in Illinois in 1889, McKee moved to El Paso in 1910 and started his own construction…

You're driving through El Paso, and right here, in the late 1800s, a fiery newspaper editor named Simeon Harrison Newman arrived. He was hired by local businessmen to start a new paper, the Lone Star, with a motto: 'Hew…

You're driving through El Paso, the birthplace of Guadalupe Moreno Ontiveros, a remarkable actress who broke barriers in Hollywood. Born in 1942, Lupe started her career not in acting, but as a social worker. However, a…

You're driving near El Paso, and right here, Padre Ramón Ortiz was a key figure in this borderland community for over fifty years. Born in New Mexico in 1813, he became pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission in 1838,…

You're driving through El Paso, a city that owes a huge debt to a man called Carlos M. Pinto. He arrived here in 1892, an Italian Jesuit priest who would become known as the 'Apostle of El Paso.' Imagine this: he…

You're driving through El Paso right now, and the land beneath you? It's part of a story that began way back in 1827. That's when Juan María Ponce de León was granted a piece of land along the Rio Grande. He farmed it,…

You're driving through El Paso, a city that owes much of its modern public health to Dr. Junius Ambrose Rawlings. He arrived here in 1897, not for fame, but seeking healthier air as he battled tuberculosis. But instead…