El Paso (1991)

Inhabited by various Indian tribes prior to the arrival of the Spaniards in the 16th century, El Paso has played an important role in the history of Mexico and the United States. Its four centuries of recorded history span periods of Spanish colonization, Mexican rule, and Anglo railroad building and industrialization. Early settlements were established on the south side of the Rio Grande at El Paso del Norte (the pass of the north). After the Rio Grande became a boundary between the United States and Mexico, a settlement called Franklin grew up on the north side of the river and eventually took the name El Paso. The original El Paso del Norte settlement on the south side became Ciudad Juarez. The establishment of Fort Bliss in 1854, the arrival of the Butterfield Overland Mail route in 1858, and the building of the railroads in the 1880s brought an economic boom and increased population. The flourishing frontier community became the seat of El Paso county government in 1883. Its proximity to mining areas in northern Mexico, New Mexico, and Arizona, combined with its geographic location on the international border made El Paso a multi-cultural, multifaceted city unique among Texas communities. (1991) Incise on the base: Dr. W.H. Timmons Fund, El Paso Community Foundation

El Paso is a historical marker in El Paso, El Paso County, dedicated in 1991. It is one of 94 historical markers documented in El Paso County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 140 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 31.7585, -106.4890 near El Paso. The nearest cataloged historic site is Pioneer Plaza (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Plaza Hotel, White House Department Store and Hotel McCoy, and First Mortage Company Building.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5141001424. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.