Construction of Elephant Butte Dam was authorized by the United States Congress on February 25, 1905 and started in 1911. The 100-year-old dam is 301 feet high, 1674 feet long and used 618,785 cubic yards of concrete. Dedication ceremonies were scheduled for Oct. 14, 1916 but were postponed, “owing to the excessive rains in the […]
Author: EPCHS
1998 Union Plaza Development Report
Union Plaza Downtown El Paso Development Archaeological Project: Overview, Inventory and Recommendations, a report for the Sun Metro Transit Authority, City of El Paso, Texas. Dated December 9, 1998. Read the 1998 Report
Early women principals of the Ysleta Independent School District
In 1891 Ysleta schools educated their girl and boy students separately. Kitti Gorbutt was principal of the Ysleta public Girls School in 1891. As early as 1901, Anna Hannah Ellison was serving as principal, until she left in 1904 and taught in the El Paso schools. Carrie Coleman, from Maybank, Texas, was appointed principal in 1910 […]
Mattie Primrose Dillard Graves: The Rose Queen of Ysleta
Mattie Primrose Dillard was born in Nogales, Arizona, a mining town. She came to El Paso working for El Paso County Tax Assessor, George Huffman. She married Milton St. John Graves who oversaw a water irrigation system for the Franklin Canal. This system stretched from El Paso to Fabens. It was purchased by the U.S. Reclamation Services. […]
Mildred Vogel and Ida Ashley
Mildred Vogel was the only woman title executive in the United States in 1929. Vogel had an office in the old Caples Building and presided over the El Paso Branch of Stewart Title and Guaranty Company. She handled hundreds of deals and owned the Vogel Hotel on West Missouri Street. Vogel also invested in various […]
The El Paso Corral of Westerners
The El Paso chapter of the Corral of Westerners was organized in 1968 by a group of southwestern writers including C. Leland Sonnicheson, who was the first sheriff of the group. Membership was restricted to women until 1976 when Betty Ligon, who was the entertainment and art editor for the El Paso Herald-Post, became the […]
Harriett Quisenberry
Harriet Quisenberry was born in Colin County, Texas. Quisenberry came to El Paso with her husband, Alfred, who she had married at age sixteen and her four children. When she came to El Paso she was in bad health and was told by doctors that she would not live much longer but Harriet recovered. She […]
Actress Gingers Rogers visits El Paso
Ginger Rogers, the legendary actress, came to El Paso on September 25,1942 to sell war bonds. She talked to a crowd of 3000 at the old Liberty Hall as a part a big war bond campaign during WWII. She refused to talk about movies or her career, instead, she wanted to focus on selling as many […]
El Paso Mayoral Election of 1963: Part 2
Charles B. Moore emerged as the best candidate who could beat Judson Williams. Moore defeated Mayor Ralph Seitisinger for a second place spot in the runoff against Judson Williams who had a big lead and at one point. It almost looked like he would win without a runoff. Many were surprised about Seitsinger not making […]
El Paso Mayoral Election of 1963: Part 1
In 1963, a record number of El Paso voters showed up to the polls, first in the general election and then in the runoff, to pick their next mayor. The race was between 7 men and one woman. Even though incumbent mayor, Ralph Seitsinger was running for a second term, the race was still considered […]