San Elizario, Texas

Name: San Elizario, Texas
Address: San Elizario, TX

Everything San Elizario is known for

1 song mention this city

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Music in San Elizario

Songs About San Elizario

leavin' texas

jerry jeff walker

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Rivers & Roads in Song near San Elizario

Songs written about the waterways and highways that run near San Elizario.

Rio Grande / Río Bravo 162 songs Rio Grande / Río Bravo 249 songs Interstate 10 36 songs

History of San Elizario

The Salt War of 1877 RoadyGoat

The San Elizario you see today was shaped by a war over salt. For generations, the Hispanic people of this valley freely collected salt from lakes 90 miles east, a right they considered theirs by tradition. But in 1877, an Anglo politician named Charles Howard laid claim to the salt beds and began charging a fee. The community erupted. Led by local leaders, they protested and eventually jailed Howard. He was released, but returned with Texas Rangers, escalating the conflict. A siege began, with hundreds of armed local men surrounding the Rangers and Howard in San Elizario. After days of fighting, Howard and two other Anglos were executed by a firing squad in the street. The U.S. Army arrived too late. The event, known as the Salt War, branded the town as lawless, leading it to lose the county seat and ensuring the railroad would never come here.

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Billy the Kid's Daring Jailbreak RoadyGoat

Before he was a legend, Billy the Kid was just a loyal friend. In 1876, his running mate Melquiades Segura was arrested and thrown in the El Paso County jail right here at San Elizario, facing a hangman's noose. So the young outlaw—then riding under the name Kid Antrim—came down from Las Cruces. The story goes he turned up around three in the morning and knocked on the jail door. He spoke fluent Spanish, and accounts say he passed himself off as a Texas Ranger to get inside. Once through the door he got the drop on the guard, drew his pistol, and demanded the keys. He freed Segura, locked the jailer in the cell, and the two of them rode for Mexico. As the legend has it, this is the only jail Billy the Kid ever broke into. The building—a private home from the 1820s until it was turned into the county jail in 1850, back when San Elizario was the county seat—still stands as a monument to one of the Wild West's most famous tales.

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San Elizario, TX RoadyGoat

In 1598, Juan de Oñate, a Spanish conquistador, led a group of colonists and livestock to settle the province of New Mexico, reaching the banks of the Rio Grande in the area that would become San Elizario. Oñate claimed the new province for King Philip II of Spain in a ceremony known as La Toma, marking the 'Birth of the American Southwest'. The settlement that became San Elizario was first established as Hacienda de los Tiburcios before 1760, and later became the site of Presidio de San Elzeario in 1789. The town that grew up around the presidio took its name from Saint Elzear, the Roman Catholic patron saint of soldiers. After the Mexican-American War, the name was Americanized to San Elizario. The town has a history of conflict, including the Salt War in 1877 between the town and Texas Rangers, which resulted in the massacre of two Rangers and a loss of status for the town.

Howard, Charles H.

1877

Charles H. Howard, judge and both instigator and victim of the Salt War of San Elizario , was born on Februrary 3, 1842, in Virginia, the son of William Henry and Sarah Catherine (DuVal) Howard. By 1860 the family had moved to Gonzales County; Charles's sister Susan married William Lewis Davidson there in 1870. Charles served as a private in the Eighth Texas Cavalry , better known as Terry's Texas Rangers, during the Civil War . He settled in Austin, Texas, in 1870 or 1871, then moved to El Paso in 1872. At that time El Paso was a stronghold of Radical Republicanism, but Howard saw an opportunity to establish the Democratic party there, singlehandedly if need be. At least initially, his efforts met with considerable success. He was appointed district attorney in 1873 and allied himself with Louis Cardis and Father Antonio Borrajo, the parish priest of San Elizario, against the Radical Republicans and the "Anti-Salt Ring" led by Albert Jennings Fountain . In February 1873 the three drew up a petition to the state legislature asking for the removal of the El Paso district judge, a political ally of Fountain, and calling Fountain himself, who was then serving in the legislature, "a disgrace to our county and a blemish upon Your Honorable Body." The petition bore more than 350 signatures, and although many were written in the same hand, the legislature decided to take action. The judge was removed in April 1874, and Howard was appointed to replace him. Unfortunately, the alliance between Howard and Cardis was about to rupture. Howard resigned as district judge in 1875 and married Mary Louisa Zimpleman in Austin on December 31 of that year. She died on June 25, 1877. Shortly before her death, her father, George Barnhard Zimpleman, an Austin banker, had moved to El Paso, apparently enlisted in a lucrative scheme by Howard. Howard filed on the salt deposits at the western foot of the Guadalupe Mountains in the name of his father-in-law, thus outraging the salineros , or salt dealers, of the El Paso area, who had regarded the salt deposits as a public commodity. One scholar implies that Howard reneged on a secret deal with Cardis and Borrajo by which the three would split the fees to be charged for collecting salt. Regardless of what actually happened, Howard and Cardis became bitter enemies. Howard assaulted Cardis in Austin and in San Antonio, but Cardis refused to take action. In June 1877, while Howard was en route to survey the salt deposits, he encountered Cardis at Fort Quitman and attacked him again. Meanwhile, he had two salineros arrested for taking salt without paying the required fee. On his way back to El Paso, Howard stopped at Ysleta to talk with the sheriff. An armed group of Mexicans and Mexican Americans seized him there and took him to San Elizario; they might have killed him then and there but for the intercession of Cardis, who wanted to avoid a major conflagration. They made Howard promise to renounce his ownership of the salt deposits and leave El Paso County immediately. The outraged judge went to Mesilla, New Mexico, where he took refuge at the home of his old opponent, Fountain, and wired the governor of Texas that an invasion from Mexico was imminent. Howard blamed Cardis for his humiliation in San Elizario; he returned to El Paso on October 7, 1877, and three days later shot Cardis to death. He was arraigned for the murder on November 17 but was freed on $4,000 bail. On December 12 Howard bravely or foolishly went to San Elizario, intending to make good on his threats to prosecute those who refused to pay the fee for collecting salt. He and his escort of Texas Rangers were surrounded and besieged by an angry mob for several days before Howard gave himself up. On December 17 he was taken out and shot by a firing squad of five men, all from the Mexican side of the river. After they fired, Jesús Telles ran up and attempted to slash Howard's face with a machete. He swung his weapon, but Howard twisted away, and

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Oñate Expedition

1598

Reports of great wealth and natives who would be responsive to conversion in the country to the far north in the 1580s brought responsive action from the monarchy of Philip II of Spain in the form of a royal decree authorizing the pacification and settlement of the new land. It was Philip's conviction that as Hernando Cortes had conquered Mexico in 1521, there existed on the northern frontier of the viceroyalty of New Spain a second rich kingdom-another Mexico. With its conquest and colonization, therefore, Spanish fortunes would be restored after the disastrous defeat of its armada by England in 1588. Thus the viceroy of New Spain was instructed to find a suitable leader to organize an expedition. The contest for the position of governor and captain general of New Mexico was spirited, despite the crown's requirement that the candidate chosen would have to bear most of the costs of the expedition. At length, in 1595 the viceroy awarded the contract to Don Juan de Oñate , a wealthy and distinguished man whose father had made a fortune from the silver mines of Zacatecas, and whose wife was the granddaughter of Hernando Cortes and the great-granddaughter of Montezuma. After many delays in getting the expedition assembled, in January 1598 the colony of 400 men (of whom 130 brought families), eighty-three wagons and carts to carry the baggage and provisions, and more than 7,000 head of stock began the march northward from Santa Barbara along the upper Río Conchos. Ten Franciscans joined later. Unlike previous expeditions, which followed the Conchos to the Rio Grande, this one headed straight across the sand dunes of the Chihuahua desert. A vanguard, after four days without water, reached the Rio Grande on April 20, and six days later the colony was reunited. In celebration of its survival a great feast was held. The expedition then ascended the river a distance, and on April 30, 1598, a significant date in the history of the El Paso Southwest, Oñate in a formal ceremony took official possession of the entire territory drained by the Rio Grande for his monarch, Philip II of Spain. This event, which took place at a site near that of present-day San Elizario, Texas (the river at that time ran several miles north of its present channel), is called La Toma, "the taking possession of"; it laid the foundation for more than two centuries of Spanish rule in the American Southwest. Ascending the river, the expedition crossed the river to the east side on May 4, at a site just west of present downtown El Paso. Oñate called this operation "El Paso del Río del Norte," an early use of the name El Paso. Near the upper reaches of the river he established his headquarters, founded a church, and formally founded the province of New Mexico. During the next few years Oñate sent out exploring parties in all directions, but the results were extremely disappointing-New Mexico was a distinct contrast to the Mexico that Hernando Cortes conquered. Everywhere the picture was the same-a large Indian population living in adobe houses, some of which were two stories high, but there was no gold, no silver, only a few fertile farms, and tenacious Indian resistance in many areas. Since the new land had failed to measure up to the high hopes and expectations of the colonists, quarreling and dissension increased, food was soon scarce, and desertions mounted. Charges were brought against the governor, accusing him of misconduct and mismanagement, of ignoring the complaints of the colonists, and of misinforming the crown about conditions in New Mexico. At length, in 1607 Oñate resigned his command, retired from the scene, and returned to Spain to defend himself against his alleged misdeeds. The Spanish crown, after some hesitation, decided to maintain its foothold in New Mexico, having received word that if it left it would be abandoning 7,000 converts. In 1609 a new governor, Pedro de Peralta, was appointed, and in the following year Santa Fe was founded as the new c

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Salt War of San Elizario

1877

The El Paso Salt War began in the late 1860s as a struggle between Republican leaders W. W. Mills, Albert J. Fountain, and Louis Cardis to acquire title to the salt deposits at the foot of Guadalupe Peak, 100 miles east of El Paso. Fountain and Mills became leaders of the opposing factions. Fountain, leader of the Anti-Salt Ring, was elected to the Texas Senate in 1869 with the expectation of securing title to the deposits for the people of the El Paso area, but Cardis and Father Antonio Borrajo of San Elizario aroused sentiment against the scheme. Feeling between the two factions broke into open warfare with the killing of Judge Gaylord Judd Clarke on December 7, 1870, and Fountain soon moved to New Mexico. The second stage of the trouble began in 1872, when Charles Howard, a Missouri lawyer, Democrat, and former Confederate officer, joined with Cardis to break the Republican machine. After Howard became district judge in 1874, he became an enemy of Cardis, who controlled the Mexican vote and was the real boss of the region. Their feud grew serious when Howard filed on the salt lakes in the name of his father-in-law, Maj. George B. Zimpleman. This act outraged the Mexican citizens, who considered the lakes public property under terms of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and who were supported in their view by Cardis and Father Borrajo. When Howard arrested two men who had threatened to go for salt in September 1877, he started a riot. A mob held him for three days at San Elizario. He gained his freedom by promising to give up his claim to the salt and agreeing to leave the country. Four of his friends signed a $12,000 bond guaranteeing that his agreement would be carried out. Howard retreated to Mesilla, New Mexico, still threatening to even the score with Cardis, whom he regarded as the instigator of the mob. On October 10, 1877, he killed Cardis in a store in El Paso. The Mexicans at San Elizario then demanded Howard's arrest and the forfeiture of the bond. Maj. John B. Jones of the Frontier Battalion organized a detachment of rangers, put Lt. John B. Tays in command at San Elizario, and had Howard arraigned for Cardis's murder and admitted to bail. About December 1, sixteen wagons left for the salt lakes. Howard brought suit against the trespassers and left for San Elizario to press the charges. In San Elizario he was besieged in the ranger quarters by a force led by Chico Barela. The mob killed Charles Ellis and C. E. Mortimer and for four days made determined efforts to storm the rangers' fort. A detachment of United States troops under Capt. Thomas Blair was summoned on the grounds that part of the mob was composed of aliens from Mexico, but Blair was dissuaded from entering the village. On the fifth day of the siege Howard gave himself up to save the lives of his party. In the belief that Howard was to be freed, the rangers also surrendered to the mob. On December 17 Howard, his agent John E. McBride, and John G. Atkinson, who had put up $11,000 to satisfy the forfeited bond, were shot by a firing squad composed of men from Mexico. The rangers were allowed to leave without their arms, and San Elizario was looted by the mob. Within a few days several detachments of troops and a posse of American citizens descended on San Elizario, killing four men and wounding several others on the way. The leaders of the mob and many of their followers fled to Mexico. Indictments were made out against some of them, but no one was ever arrested or brought to trial. A congressional investigation attempted to get at the facts, but no positive action was taken except the reestablishment of Fort Bliss, which had been abandoned earlier in the year. Thenceforward no objection was made to paying for the salt.

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Onate, Juan de, Expedition - 1598

1598

Spanish interest in the territory known as New Mexico increased during the 1580s and 1590s. Although reports of mining and missionary possibilities were significant, King Philip II of Spain was also concerned about New World explorations of rival England. As a result, Don Juan de Onate was commissioned in 1595 to lead an expedition to claim and colonize the New Mexico region in the name of the king. After many delays, Onate and his party of 400 men and members of their families left Santa Barbara, Mexico in January 1598. Instead of following earlier routes, they crossed the Chihuahua Desert to reach the El Paso area. In a formal ceremony at this site on April 30, 1598, Onate issued a proclamation, known as La Toma, taking possession of the region for Spain. Included was all land drained by the Rio Del Norte, the Rio Grande. Proceeding north, Onate established headquarters near present Santa Fe and founded the province of New Mexico. As Governor, he directed exploration of the area until he resigned in 1607. Onate's expedition and La Toma brought Spanish rule to the American Southwest and preceded colonization efforts of other European nations on the North American continent. (1981)

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Espejo - Beltran Expedition - 1582-1583

1582

Following the Rodriguez - Chamuscado Expedition of 1581 there was increased interest in the area now known as New Mexico and Texas. There was also concern for the safety of Fray Rodriguez and Fray Lopez, who had stayed in the area. In 1582 a Franciscan priest from Santa Barbara, Mexico, Fray Bernadino Beltran, formed an expedition to find the missionaries. His military escort was led by Antonio De Espejo, a former Santa Barbara merchant and rancher living in voluntary exile over a legal dispute with the Spanish authorities. The expedition departed the mining outpost of San Bartolome in November 1582. By the following January they had reached the El Paso area. In present New Mexico they learned that Fray Rodriguez and Fray Lopez had been killed by Indians. Fray Beltran led a small party back to Mexico, but Espejo and several companions stayed to check the Indian stories of silver mines and wealthy pueblos. On their journey the Spaniards became the first explorers in the region from the Pecos River Valley to the Junta de Los Rios, the junction of the Concho River and the Rio Grande. The reports of their explorations further heightened the interest in the area. 1981

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Rodriguez - Chamuscado Expedition - 1581

1581

Inspired by Indian stories of settlements in present New Mexico and authorized by the Spanish Viceroy, Fray Agustin Rodriguez, a Franciscan priest, led a missionary expedition to the area. Accompanied by Fray Juan de Santa Maria, Fray Francisco Lopez, nine soldiers, and nineteen Indian servants, he left Santa Barbara, Mexico, on June 5, 1581. The military escort was led by Francisco Sanchez, who, because of his red beard, was known as El Chamuscado, "The Singed." Following the Rio Grande, the expedition reached El Paso Del Norte. Proceeding through the pass, they spent the remainder of 1581 exploring the vast region from present western New Mexico to the Texas Panhandle. After Indians killed Fray Santa Maria in September 1581, plans were made to return for a report to the Spanish authorities. Despite the hostile environment, the two remaining missionaries chose to stay. Chamuscado led the others back through the Pass of the North, but died before reaching Santa Barbara. Believed to have been the first Spanish expedition to use the Pass of the North, the Rodriguez-Chamuscado Expedition marked the beginning of Spanish influence in the area. Their exploration opened the region, now the American Southwest, to later colonization. (1981)

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Everything Near San Elizario

184 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.

Howard, Charles H. · Tsha Handbook
Charles H. Howard, judge and both instigator and victim of the Salt War of San Elizario , was born on Februrary 3, 1842, in Virginia, the son of William Henry and Sarah Catherine (DuVal) Howard. By 1860 the family had…
Oñate Expedition · Tsha Handbook
Reports of great wealth and natives who would be responsive to conversion in the country to the far north in the 1580s brought responsive action from the monarchy of Philip II of Spain in the form of a royal decree…
Salt War of San Elizario · Tsha Handbook
The El Paso Salt War began in the late 1860s as a struggle between Republican leaders W. W. Mills, Albert J. Fountain, and Louis Cardis to acquire title to the salt deposits at the foot of Guadalupe Peak, 100 miles east…
San Elizario, TX · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through San Elizario, a place that's seen centuries of Texas history unfold. Imagine Juan de Oñate reaching the Rio Grande right near here way back in 1598. Later, this became a Spanish presidio, a…
Garcia, Gregorio N. · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through El Paso County, and right here, you're passing through the territory once represented by Gregorio N. García in the Texas Legislature. Born around 1814, García was a farmer and a family man before…
Salt Basin · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through the vastness of Hudspeth County, and right here is the Salt Basin. For centuries, Native Americans gathered salt here. But in 1862, with a potential salt shortage looming from New Mexico, locals…
San Elizario Presidio · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through San Elizario, a place that once held a vital Spanish military outpost. In 1789, the Presidio of San Elizario was moved to this site to protect river settlements and establish a colony of pacified…
Larrazolo, Octaviano Ambrosio · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through El Paso County right now, near the community of San Elizario. This is where Octaviano Ambrosio Larrazolo, a man known as the 'Silver Tongued Orator of the Southwest,' began his Texas career in…
The Salt War of 1877 · 0.8 mi
The San Elizario you see today was shaped by a war over salt. For generations, the Hispanic people of this valley freely collected salt from lakes 90 miles east, a right they considered theirs by tradition. But in 1877,…
Billy the Kid's Daring Jailbreak · 0.8 mi
Before he was a legend, Billy the Kid was just a loyal friend. In 1876, his running mate Melquiades Segura was arrested and thrown in the El Paso County jail right here at San Elizario, facing a hangman's noose. So the…
San Elizario, TX · 0.8 mi
In 1598, Juan de Oñate, a Spanish conquistador, led a group of colonists and livestock to settle the province of New Mexico, reaching the banks of the Rio Grande in the area that would become San Elizario. Oñate claimed…
Taming the Rio Grande · 0.8 mi
As you drive through San Elizario, you'll see lush green fields of cotton, pecans, and alfalfa right next to the desert. This agricultural miracle is the result of a massive, century-long engineering project to tame the…

Show all 184 nearby places

Onate, Juan de, Expedition - 1598 · 0.8 mi · Historical Marker
Spanish interest in the territory known as New Mexico increased during the 1580s and 1590s. Although reports of mining and missionary possibilities were significant, King Philip II of Spain was also concerned about New…
Espejo - Beltran Expedition - 1582-1583 · 0.8 mi · Historical Marker
Following the Rodriguez - Chamuscado Expedition of 1581 there was increased interest in the area now known as New Mexico and Texas. There was also concern for the safety of Fray Rodriguez and Fray Lopez, who had stayed…
Rodriguez - Chamuscado Expedition - 1581 · 0.8 mi · Historical Marker
Inspired by Indian stories of settlements in present New Mexico and authorized by the Spanish Viceroy, Fray Agustin Rodriguez, a Franciscan priest, led a missionary expedition to the area. Accompanied by Fray Juan de…
Salt War · 0.8 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past San Elizario, the site of the infamous Salt War. It all started over control of vital salt lakes near El Paso, a resource that had always been free for locals. In 1877, Charles Howard, claiming…
Salt War · 0.8 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through El Paso County, near San Elizario, where resentment over private control of the local salt lakes boiled over in 1877. This led to the infamous El Paso Salt War, a conflict that tragically resulted…
El Camino Real · 0.8 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past El 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…
The 'First Thanksgiving' in North America? · 0.8 mi
You probably think the first Thanksgiving was in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621. But many historians here will tell you the real first one happened in this very region, 23 years earlier. In April 1598, the Spanish…
Presidio Chapel of San Elizario · 0.8 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Stand here, and you're standing in a place where faith and resilience have echoed for centuries. This is the Presidio Chapel of San Elizario, a landmark deeply intertwined with the history of this region. The chapel you…
San Elizario · 0.8 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through San Elizario, a place with roots stretching back to 1683. That's when the Presidio de Nuestra Senora Del Pilar y Glorioso Senor San Jose was established nearby. It moved to this very site in 1773…
Los Portales · 0.8 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Los Portales, a building that started life around 1855 as the home of local farmer Gregorio Garcia. Built in the territorial style with milled wood, its most distinctive feature is the inset gallery,…
Scene of the 1877 Salt War · 0.8 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past San Elizario, established in 1789 as a Spanish colonial fort, the Presidio de San Elceario. It served as a Spanish post until 1814, and later became the first county seat of El Paso County in 1850.…
San Elizario · 0.8 mi · Historical Marker
San Elizario was established in 1789 on the former site of Hacienda de Los Tiburcios as a Spanish colonial fort known as the Presidio de San Elceario. The Presidio was moved from its original location (approx. 37 mi. s)…
San Elizario Chapel · 0.8 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the San Elizario Chapel, a tangible reminder of the Hispanic and Catholic heritage of this region. Established in 1789 as part of a Spanish military garrison, this chapel was rebuilt with adobe and…
County Jail, Old · 0.9 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Old County Jail in San Elizario, built around 1850 from adobe bricks and cottonwood logs. This place served as the county jail and courtroom for El Paso County when San Elizario was the first and…
Clint, TX · 2.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Clint, Texas, a town born from a land sale back in 1883. It was originally called Collinsburgh, named for early settler Mary Clinton Collins. For a while, it was known as the San Elizario station…
Texas HS Baseball Leaders 2026: Clint (Clint) · 2.3 mi
Clint (Clint, TX) placed on the 4A Texas high school baseball stat leaderboards for the 2026 season: Kevin Pacheco (0.466 avg).
Clint, TX · 2.4 mi
Clint's history is a tale of growth and decline, shaped by the railroad and agriculture. Named for early settler Mary Clinton Collins, the town began as Collinsburgh and was sold to Thomas M. Collins in 1883. It was a…
The Echo of the Salt War · 4.0 mi
Just down the road from here, in the 1870s, the valley erupted in violence over something you might find on your dinner table: salt. For generations, the Mexican-American residents of this valley had freely collected…
Taming a Wild River · 4.0 mi
The Rio Grande you see near Clint today is not the river that existed a century ago. You're looking at a massive feat of engineering called the Rio Grande Rectification Project. Historically, the river was a wild,…
Clint, TX · 4.0 mi
In 2019, Clint was in the spotlight due to a Customs and Border Protection facility near the town, where approximately 250 unaccompanied migrant children were held. The conditions at the facility were a subject of…
Socorro, TX · 4.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Socorro, a town with a history stretching back to the Pueblo Indian Revolt in New Mexico. <break time="400ms"/> In 1680, Spanish and Piro Indian refugees fled south, eventually settling here in…
Early Site of Socorro Mission · 5.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the oldest known mission site in Texas! Back in 1680, Pueblo Indians revolted against Spanish rule in New Mexico, forcing refugees and tribes south to the El Paso area. By 1684, a temporary church…
Lugar Inicial De Mision De Socorro · 5.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the very first mission site in Texas! After a Pueblo revolt pushed the Spanish out of New Mexico in 1680, refugees and allied tribes fled south along the Rio Grande. By 1684, this spot was a…
Tienda de Carbajal, Site of · 5.6 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Socorro, near the crossing of San Elizario Road and the Acequia Madre. Look for the partially reclaimed site of the Tienda de Carbajal. This walled hacienda, first appearing on maps in <say-as…
Rio Vista Farm · 5.7 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Rio Vista Farm, El Paso County's second poor farm, established in 1915. It operated as a unique family-run institution, caring for over four thousand orphans and neglected children. From…
The Great Pueblo Revolt Exodus · 5.8 mi
The road you're on follows the path of a desperate journey. In August 1680, the Pueblo tribes of northern New Mexico launched a powerful, coordinated revolt against Spanish authorities, driving them out of Santa Fe. As…
Socorro, TX · 5.8 mi
Socorro was established in 1680 by local Manso and Piro Indians fleeing the Pueblo Revolt in northern New Mexico. The probable date of a Mass celebrated in the mission church of Nuestra Señora de la Limpia Concepción…
The Mission That a River Moved · 5.8 mi
If you get a chance to see the Socorro Mission, notice its beautiful, heavy wooden ceiling beams, called vigas. Some of those beams came from the community's first church, which was destroyed in a massive flood. The…
The Living Canals of the Rio Grande · 5.8 mi
Look at the green fields around Socorro. They exist thanks to a brilliant piece of ancient engineering called an acequia. These are not natural creeks; they are man-made irrigation canals, a technology with roots in…
The Royal Road Through Town · 5.8 mi
The street you're driving on, Socorro Road, is more than a local street. It follows El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro — the Royal Road of the Interior Land — the sixteen-hundred-mile artery that ran from Mexico City to…
Casa Ortiz · 5.8 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Casa Ortiz, a house that legend says was built before 1800. By the 1840s, Jose Ortiz lived here. His cart trains hauled salt from the Guadalupe Mountains all the way to Durango, and brought back…
Granja Rio Vista · 5.8 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Granja Rio Vista. La 2a casa de caridad del condado de El Paso, conocida como La Granja Pobre de El Paso, se estableció en este lugar en 1915. John O'Shea, empresario y agricultor rico, tenia su…
Socorro Mission · 6.1 mi · Scraped Hmdb
This spot matters because it's a testament to survival and faith. The Socorro Mission, rebuilt around 1839, stands as a successor to the original Nuestra Señora de la Concepción del Socorro, founded in 1682.That…
The Camino Real · 6.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past a section of El Paso's historic Camino Real, the Royal Road! For over two centuries, this was the main commercial highway connecting Mexico City to Santa Fe. First blazed by Juan de Onate in 1598,…
Mission Nuestra Senora de la Purisima Concepcion Del Socorro · 6.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Mission Nuestra Señora de la Purisima Concepcion Del Socorro, established in 1680. It was founded for Piros Indians fleeing New Mexico, making this and the Ysleta mission some of the oldest…
Socorro Mission La Purisima · 6.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Socorro Mission La Purisima. During the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, Gov. Don Antonio de Otermín and Father Francisco de Ayeta led Piro Indian and Spanish refugees out of New Mexico into this region,…
Socorro · 6.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Socorro, a mission and pueblo established way back in 1683. It was founded by Don Antonio de Otermin and Father Fray Francisco Ayeta to help civilize and Christianize Piro, Thano, and…
Fabens, TX · 8.0 mi
Fabens, Texas, has a history deeply intertwined with the Southern Pacific Railroad. The town's name itself is a nod to attorney George Wilson Fabens, who worked for the railroad and was the assistant land commissioner…
Fabens, TX · 8.1 mi
The city's name, Fabens, is derived from attorney George Wilson Fabens, who was associated with the Southern Pacific Railroad. As the railroad expanded, new towns were named after railroad officers, and Fabens is no…
Shoemaker, Billie Lee [Bill, Willie] · 8.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through El Paso County, Texas, the birthplace of one of horse racing's greatest legends, Bill Shoemaker. Born right here in Fabens in 1931, he was so tiny at birth, just two and a half pounds, that his…
Fabens, TX · 8.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Fabens, a town with roots stretching back to the late 1800s. But its real story kicks off around the turn of the 20th century. Eugenio Pérez, the first permanent settler, arrived from San Elizario…
The Mail-Order Desert Paradise · 8.5 mi
The grid of streets you’re driving on is a map of a dream sold in the 1960s. The Horizon Corporation marketed this place as a desert paradise, complete with lakes and golf courses, to buyers across America. They sold…
Engineering a City on a Promise of Water · 8.5 mi
The original sales pitch for Horizon City was the 'City of Tomorrow' — a planned community for as many as a million and a half people, anchored by an eighteen-hole golf course and country club, laid out with help from…
From Development to City · 8.5 mi
For its first quarter-century, Horizon City wasn't really a city at all. It was a private development — lots platted and sold by the Horizon Corporation starting in the early 1960s, marketed worldwide, often sight…
Horizon City, TX · 8.5 mi
In the early 1960s, a real-estate development corporation named Horizon Corporation began a grand plan to develop a new community. They bought up large tracts of land in the southwestern United States, including eastern…
Alderete - Candelaria House · 8.6 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Alderete-Candelaria House, built in the 1870s for Benigno Alderete, a former Texas Ranger and El Paso mayor. Built with help from the Tigua Indians, this adobe home later became known as the…
Corpus Christi de la Ysleta · 8.7 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Ysleta, home to the very first mission and pueblo in Texas. Established way back in 1682 by Don Antonio de Otermin and Fray Francisco Ayeta, this was the starting point for civilizing and…
Ysleta Mission · 8.7 mi · Scraped Hmdb
You're approaching a place of deep roots, a cornerstone of Texan history: the Ysleta Mission. It's the oldest continuously operating parish in Texas. The story begins in 1680. Following the Pueblo Revolt in present-day…
First Mission in Texas · 8.7 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Ysleta Mission, the oldest community in Texas and home to the first mission in the state. Built in 1681, it predates even the California and Central Texas missions. The Tigua Indians helped the…
Oldest Mission in Texas · 8.7 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of the oldest mission in Texas, right here in Ysleta. Originally founded in New Mexico in 1613, it was moved to this area by Tigua Indians in 1680 during the Pueblo Revolt. After several…
Texas HS Baseball Leaders 2026: Ysleta (El Paso) · 9.7 mi
Ysleta (El Paso, TX) placed on the 4A Texas high school baseball stat leaderboards for the 2026 season: Ismael Morales (0.484 avg).
The Marine Veteran Lost at Joe Battle and Bob Hope · 10.2 mi
On El Paso's east side, Loop Three Seventy Five is also called Joe Battle Boulevard, and the stretch between mile markers forty one and forty four is the Trooper Javier Arana Junior Memorial Highway. Javier Arana was a…
San Antonio de Senecu · 10.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the approximate site of San Antonio de Senecu, founded way back in 1682. This mission and pueblo was established by Don Antonio de Otermin and Father Fray Francisco Ayeta. Its main purpose? To…
The Camino Real · 11.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're cruising through El Paso, and right here, you're passing over a piece of history that connected an empire. This is the Camino Real, the Royal Road. For over two centuries, this was the superhighway for goods…
The Eagle Drawn on Brown Wrapping Paper · 12.8 mi
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…
Gillett, James Harper [Harper Baylor Lee] · 13.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving near Ysleta, Texas, the birthplace of James Harper Gillett. Born in 1884, he'd later become known as Harper Baylor Lee, and he achieved something truly remarkable: he was the first American to become a…
Stephenson, Hugh · 13.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through what is now El Paso County, and right here is the site of Concordia, a community founded by Hugh Stephenson. Born in Kentucky, Stephenson came west as a trapper and in August 1824, he became…
Tigua Indians · 13.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through El Paso, and right here is the historic home of the Tigua Indians. In 1680, during the Pueblo Revolt, these people fled their ancestral lands in New Mexico, accompanying Spanish settlers on a…
Mesilla, Battle Of · 13.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
On July 24, 1861, Lt. Col. John Robert Baylor led 300 men from Fort Bliss forty miles up the east bank of the Rio Grande to Fort Fillmore, New Mexico. With him were two companies of the Second Texas Mounted Rifles, a…
Colonia · 13.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas, and you might be passing by a colonia. These are unincorporated settlements that exploded in the 1980s, mostly housing Mexican and Central American immigrants who couldn't afford…
Sun Bowl · 13.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through El Paso, and right here is the iconic Sun Bowl stadium. Completed in 1963 with voter-approved funds, this 30,000-seat facility has been home to the UTEP Miners football team. But its history goes…
Frontera, TX · 13.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
Frontera, eight miles northwest of downtown El Paso, was established in 1848 by T. Frank White, the first Anglo-American trader of record in the area. The site was on the east bank of the Rio Grande near Mule (now…
Franklin Mountains State Park · 13.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through the Franklin Mountains, a rugged range that's been eyed for preservation since 1925. But it took until 1979 for this incredible landscape to become Franklin Mountains State Park. A land…
Bean, Woodrow Wilson, Sr. · 13.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
Woodrow Wilson (Woody) Bean, lawyer, judge, and state representative, was born on a ranch near Esperanza, Texas, on August 28, 1917, the son of Mr. and Mrs. J. B. Bean and the fifth cousin of Judge Roy Bean . After…
Bracero Program Processing Center · 13.4 mi · Historical Marker
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…
Tornillo, TX · 13.5 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Tornillo, a community that owes its existence to the promise of water and the power of cotton. Back in 1909, businessmen platted this townsite, hoping to capitalize on irrigated farmland. The real…
The Marine Who Stopped for a Ladder · 13.6 mi
Where Interstate Ten meets Joe Battle Boulevard in El Paso, the interchange is the Officer Angel David Garcia Memorial Interchange. Angel Garcia graduated from Clint High School in two thousand four and went on to serve…
Texas HS Baseball Leaders 2026: Hanks (El Paso) · 13.7 mi
Hanks (El Paso, TX) placed on the 5A Texas high school baseball stat leaderboards for the 2026 season: Christian Zuniga (0.459 avg, 1 HR); Jacob Meneses (3 HR).
El Paso Leadership Academy - 2025 Texas 6-Man T-CAL I state football champion · 13.7 mi · Sports News
You're near El Paso Leadership Academy High School in El Paso. Last season they took home the Texas 6-Man T-CAL I state football championship when El Paso DaVinci forfeited the title game, so the crown was theirs by…
Tornillo · 13.7 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Tornillo, a town named for the screw-bean bush that once grew wild here. In 1909, investors saw potential for a major agricultural center, especially after plans for Rio Grande dam projects were…
Tornillo, TX · 13.8 mi
Tornillo, a border town in El Paso County, Texas, has witnessed significant changes over the years. It was first platted in 1909 by the Tornillo Townsite Company, a group of businessmen from El Paso. The town's first…
The World's Biggest Inland Salt-Water Plant · 16.1 mi
El Paso sits in the high desert, hundreds of miles from the nearest ocean, which makes the next fact a little absurd: the city runs the world's largest inland desalination plant. It's called the Kay Bailey Hutchison…
Pushing Salt Out of Water With Pressure · 16.1 mi
The heart of the El Paso plant is a process called reverse osmosis, and to get it you first have to picture ordinary osmosis. Imagine a special membrane, a barrier with pores so tiny only water molecules slip through,…
Fresh Water Floating on Salt Water · 16.1 mi
Why would a city go to the trouble of desalting underground water instead of just pumping a well? The answer is hidden in the ground beneath El Paso, in an aquifer called the Hueco Bolson. Down there, the water isn't…
What to Do With the Leftover Salt · 16.1 mi
Every desalination plant runs into the same awkward question: where does the salt go? When you pull fresh water out of salty water, you don't make the salt vanish. You concentrate it. What's left behind is a super-salty…
San Lorenzo · 16.2 mi · Historical Marker
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…
El Paso Salt War · 16.7 mi · Historical Marker
For generations, the salt lakes at the base of the Guadalupe Mountains were a communal resource. Mexican American families from both sides of the Rio Grande traveled to the flats to harvest salt for preserving food and…
The Wartime Highway Name That Waited Sixty Years · 16.7 mi
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…
Southwestern International Livestock Show and Rodeo · 16.8 mi · Historical Marker
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…
Henry C. Trost · 16.9 mi · Historical Marker
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…
Franklin Canal · 17.0 mi · Historical Marker
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…
Victoriano Huerta · 17.1 mi · Historical Marker
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…
Homestead Meadows South, TX · 17.1 mi
The ethnic composition of Homestead Meadows South is predominantly Hispanic or Latino, accounting for 96.17% of the population. The racial makeup also includes White, African American, Native American, Asian, Pacific…
Fort Bliss at Lanoria Mesa · 17.2 mi · Historical Marker
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…
Soler, Uribici · 17.2 mi · Historical Marker
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…
Estela Portillo Trambley · 17.3 mi · Historical Marker
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…
Camp Concordia and Fort Bliss, Site of · 17.3 mi · Historical Marker
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…
The Jefferson Davis Highway Plan · 17.4 mi
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…
Butterfield Overland Mail · 17.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past a ghost of the Wild West: the Butterfield Overland Mail! Imagine this: September 1858, and stagecoaches are rumbling through here, carrying mail and passengers between St. Louis and San Francisco.…
Concordia Cemetery · 17.6 mi · Historical Marker
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…
Houchen Community Center · 17.6 mi · Historical Marker
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…
Trinidad Concha · 17.6 mi · Historical Marker
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…
Chihuahuita · 17.7 mi · Historical Marker
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…
John Wesley Hardin · 17.7 mi · Historical Marker
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…
Tays Place Public Housing Project · 17.7 mi · Historical Marker
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…
The Four Dead in Five Seconds Shootout · 17.8 mi
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…
The Border That Moved · 17.8 mi
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…
Engineering a Border · 17.8 mi
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…
Watching the Revolution from Rooftops · 17.8 mi
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…
Texas's Oldest Community · 17.8 mi
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.…
White, James H., Captain · 17.8 mi · Historical Marker
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…
The Salt War of 1877 · 17.8 mi
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…
The Ghost of the ASARCO Smelter · 17.8 mi
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…
Site of the First Fort Bliss · 17.8 mi · Historical Marker
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…
Guardian Angel Church · 17.8 mi · Historical Marker
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…
Henry O. Flipper · 18.0 mi · Historical Marker
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…
Magoffinsville · 18.0 mi · Historical Marker
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…
Fort Bliss, TX · 18.1 mi
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…
Richard Caples Building · 18.1 mi · Scraped Hmdb
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…
Plaza Theatre (El Paso) · 18.1 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Step back in time at the Plaza Theatre, a dazzling movie palace that's seen El Paso sparkle for nearly a century. Opening its doors in 1930, the Plaza Theatre quickly became a cultural hub. Designed in the atmospheric…
El Paso's Syrian-Lebanese Community · 18.1 mi · Historical Marker
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…
John Wesley Hardin - El Paso · 18.2 mi · Historical Marker
John Wesley Hardin killed his first man at fifteen and never really stopped. By his own count, he killed over forty men, though historians debate the number. What's not debated is that he was the most dangerous…
Assassination of John Wesley Hardin — El Paso, Texas, 1895 · 18.2 mi
El Paso, August nineteenth, eighteen ninety-five. John Wesley Hardin was standing at the bar of the Acme Saloon on San Antonio Street, rolling dice, his back to the door. He had killed more than forty men across Texas…
El Paso Chicano punk scene · 18.2 mi
Before the world knew The Mars Volta, before At the Drive-In blew up, there was a punk scene in El Paso — mostly Chicano kids, running from the late seventies clean into the two-thousands. By the nineties they had…
Pancho Villa's El Paso years · 18.2 mi
Long before he was a revolutionary general, Pancho Villa was a broke man in El Paso surviving on less than a dime a day. Born in Durango in 1878, he first crossed into the city around 1909. A car dealer named Burkhead…
Villa and Pershing statue, Hotel Paso del Norte · 18.2 mi
Downtown El Paso, in the plaza outside the Hotel Paso del Norte, there's an eight-foot statue of two enemies shaking hands: Pancho Villa and General John J. Pershing. And Villa's cast not as some sombrero-wearing…
El Paso del Norte - Pass of the North · 18.2 mi · Historical Marker
El Paso del Norte, the Pass of the North, is the oldest crossing on the Rio Grande and one of the most continuously used travel corridors on the continent. In 1598, Spanish explorer Juan de Onate led colonists through…
El Paso · 18.2 mi · Historical Marker
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…
Fort Bliss, C.S.A. · 18.2 mi · Historical Marker
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…
Hotel Paso Del Norte · 18.2 mi · Historical Marker
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"…
San Jacinto Plaza · 18.2 mi · Historical Marker
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…
Felix Martinez · 18.2 mi · Historical Marker
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,…
O. T. Bassett Tower · 18.2 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Check out that skyscraper! The O. T. Bassett Tower is a stunning reminder of El Paso's ambitious past. Built in 1930, the Bassett Tower was commissioned by Charles N. Bassett as a tribute to his father. It was designed…
Pioneer Plaza · 18.2 mi · Historical Marker
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…
Stage Station · 18.2 mi · Historical Marker
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…
El Paso's Chinese Community · 18.2 mi · Historical Marker
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…
First Church Building in El Paso, Site of · 18.2 mi · Historical Marker
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…
El Paso, TX · 18.2 mi
El Paso isn't just a city, it's a crossroads carved out by time and geology. The name itself, "the pass," tells you everything. For centuries, maybe millennia, people have followed the Rio Grande through this gap in the…
El Camino Real (The King's Highway) · 18.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through El Paso, and right here, this is a critical point on El Camino Real, the King's Highway. From as early as 1581, this was the main route connecting Mexico City to the Kingdom of New Mexico. Imagine…
Engine Number One, Old · 18.3 mi · Historical Marker
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…
El Paso County, C.S.A. · 18.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through El Paso, a city that was once a Confederate stronghold right here on the frontier. In <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1861</say-as>, El Paso County voted overwhelmingly to secede, and local…
Hotel Cortez · 18.3 mi · Historical Marker
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…
Martin Building · 18.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're cruising through El Paso, and you're passing the historic Martin Building. Constructed in 1917, this seven-story structure was a major commercial hub, named for businessman William Martin Banner. Designed with…
El Paso First Ward Chapel · 18.3 mi · Historical Marker
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…
Hendricks-Laws Sanatorium / Roger Bacon Seminary · 18.4 mi · Historical Marker
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…
El Paso and Southwestern Railroad Building · 18.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through El Paso, a city that owes a lot to the iron horse. The El Paso and Southwestern Railroad laid its final track here in 1902, making this city its operational headquarters. They even built massive…
Singer Building · 18.4 mi · Historical Marker
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…
Bataan Memorial Trainway · 18.4 mi · Historical Marker
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…
Mabel Welch · 18.5 mi · Historical Marker
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…
Union Depot (El Paso) · 18.5 mi · Scraped Hmdb
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…
Turner Home · 18.5 mi · Historical Marker
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.…
El Paso Union Passenger Station · 18.5 mi · Historical Marker
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…
B'Nai Zion Synagogue, Old · 18.6 mi · Historical Marker
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…
Old San Francisco Historic District · 18.6 mi · Historical Marker
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…
Radford School · 18.7 mi · Historical Marker
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…
Biggs Army Airfield · 18.7 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Biggs Army Airfield, a place with a century of history in El Paso aviation. It started around 1913, even before World War I, as a training ground for pilots supporting the Punitive Expedition into…
Burges House · 18.7 mi · Historical Marker
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,…
Memorial Park · 18.7 mi · Historical Marker
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…
First Baptist Church of El Paso · 18.7 mi · Historical Marker
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,…
First Christian Church of El Paso · 18.7 mi · Historical Marker
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…
Olga Kohlberg · 18.9 mi · Historical Marker
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…
Woman's Club of El Paso · 18.9 mi · Historical Marker
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…
Wallace Apartments · 18.9 mi · Historical Marker
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…
Texas HS Baseball Leaders 2026: El Paso (El Paso) · 19.0 mi
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).
Henry C. Trost House · 19.0 mi · Scraped Hmdb
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…
The Rainmakers of 1891 · 19.0 mi · Historical Marker
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…
Early El Paso Water Systems · 19.0 mi · Historical Marker
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…
Sunset Heights · 19.1 mi · Historical Marker
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…
Scenic Drive · 19.1 mi · Historical Marker
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…
El Paso High School · 19.1 mi · Historical Marker
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…
First Presbyterian Church of El Paso · 19.1 mi · Historical Marker
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,…
Lazelle, Henry Martyn · 19.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving near the site of Fort Bliss, Texas, a place that saw some intense action back in the day. In the late 1850s, a young officer named Henry Martyn Lazelle arrived here. He'd soon become the fort's first…
Val Verde Battery · 19.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through West Texas, perhaps near Fort Bliss, and right here is where a unique Confederate unit was born: the Val Verde Battery. Formed in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1862</say-as> from captured…
The Camino Real · 19.3 mi · Historical Marker
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…
El Paso Del Rio Del Norte · 19.3 mi · Historical Marker
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,…
Magoffin, James W., Capt.; Maj. Simeon Hart · 19.3 mi · Historical Marker
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…
Blazed by Juan de Onate in 1598 · 19.3 mi · Historical Marker
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…
The Camino Real · 19.3 mi · Historical Marker
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…
Texas Western 1966 - Glory Road · 19.5 mi · Historical Marker
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.
Homestead Meadows North, TX · 19.5 mi
The ethnic heritage of Homestead Meadows North is diverse, with a significant Hispanic or Latino population making up 82.49% of the residents. The racial makeup also includes White at 73.20%, African American at 0.43%,…
Old Main · 19.6 mi · Historical Marker
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…
Mesa Water Boosting Station · 19.7 mi · Historical Marker
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…

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Onate, Juan de, Expedition - 1598

Espejo - Beltran Expedition - 1582-1583

Rodriguez - Chamuscado Expedition - 1581

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