In 1944, Cowboy Park opened in Ysleta, a 24-acre recreation area developed by Sheriff Chris Fox and supported by a group of businessmen. The purpose was to promote horse sports. A stadium with 3,000 seats, a five-mile track and 160 stables was built. The creation of the park was to make El Paso a training spot for out-of-state trainers and riders.
The park held exhibition races of quarter horses and thoroughbreds, as betting was not allowed. Fox was manager of the El Paso Chamber of Commerce. The first manager of the park was Felix Hickman.
The purpose was to offer only minor events, to entertain visitors who came for bigger rodeo events and not compete with them. For a time the Sheriff’s Posse would used the park for meetings and events. Another local group called the Ysleta Rough Riders also used it before they getting its own facility. The park fell into disuse in 1959. Reasons included financial difficulties, the fact that the Sheriff’s Posse stopped meeting there, and the fact that horse racing was made illegal.
Joseph Longo
