El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-07-08
Ell PASO.
A Description of the Metropolis of
Western Texas.

| cities, stands q mOnumt MT to the energy
and progressiveness OF the American
citizen, who, step by step, starting at
the Atlantic ocean, overcoming every
obstacle, facing every danger, have
paved the dense forests, mountain pass
| eS, and broad plains to the Pacific
with civilization that stands without
an equal in history. But few Years
ago, just before the iron rails of com
MERGE connected Ell PaSO with the
outer world, the writer role down the
valley on au old buckskin pony into an
adobe village, which differed in no
particular from like settlements In
Mexico, and which gave no evidence to
| the traveller that he had emerged from
| the land of the MOnteZum As and that
| he was beneath the projecting folds OF
Old Glory. An adobe jacal was the
| leading hosiery of the place: 1t was
presided over by lazy Mexican and
| his still less Industrious wife. Tue
| business houses were but rough build
| ings, of which the better grade was
given up entirely to saloons aud
gam bling dens. The streets were deep
in sand, and the people apparently
deep in thought, but thoughts which
perhaps never led them to conceive of
any material change from their then
condition. Aside from the devout
Catholic, who upon Sunday mornings
and saints days offered up their voices
in praise to their Creator, the larger
portion of the people spent the Sabbath
in gaming aud drinking.
At early dawn, just as the first CLINT
ing rays of Summer sun kissed the
mountain sides of our sister republic,
old Buckskin aad his rider, leaving
the town, stopp= d beside mesquite
bush and pondered on life: both of
them pondered, wondering why men
should leave comfortab homes for
frontier town, and if man must seek
new fields to Conquer; if the spirit of
a venture which so prcdOminates the
restless American must find an outlet,
why seek this sundried, sandy valley,
where the Rio Graude del Norte scar
cely furnished enough water to cool its
own parched bed.
Old Buckskin is dead. Gone doubt
less to that horse heaven where quirts
and spurs are unknown, and where
every hillside is green with richest ver-
dure, slopng gently down to streams
''Vamos" is never heard, but rest is
eternal.
Although the rider unfortunately
still lives, he has cast the som brero,
leather lisgings, quirt and spurs aside,
and no longer does the festive six
shooter ornament his hip. Clad in a
modern travelling suit, reclining on the
cushions of palace car, surrounded
by every travelling luxury of modern
times, speeding through beautiful val
legs at fifty miles an hour, he again,
in May 1897, entered the City OF Ell
Paso. What change, Rip Van Win
kie waking from his twenty years of
sleep saw no such transformation of the
old scenes familiar SO him. Over the
same old path that once Buckskin trOd
hand SOme carriages now sped over we'll
paved streets up to "a magnificent mod
ern hotel. The old iacal had given
way to a metropolitan edifice in which
polite atteu dants ushered our party to
the elevator which shot US skyward
and from which we emerged only to
enter apartments tit for prince OF the
realm. The great change which had
come over the section since the first
V sit was wonderfully apparent from
the hotel windows. In every direction
the city stretched, and beautiful
homes, costly business houses, public
buildings, parks, what not, met the eye
A city of 10000 people had grown IN
this short time, and from such be-
ginning. No more wonderful exhl-
bitjon of the rapid and at the same time
sta be growth of city has ever been
given on the American continent. AS
> on as our party had removed the
dust of travel-for be it known that we
were body of Texas tiremen who had
travelled 700 miles across the state to be
present at the annual convention Of
the state fremen's association at Ell
PaSo-and brushed from our eyes the
cobwebs of time, we wandered out upon
the beautiful plaza, rich in its green
sward and hower decked mounds. Oh
either side broad, paved streets, merry
with the tinkle of car bell and rattle of
carriages occupied by elegantly dressed
| ladies and gentlemen: back of this tall
aud massive buildings of brick and
stone line the streets casting cooling
shadows, where hut few short years
a go sun baked bricks modelled to salts
| fy the limited wants of the early set
tier. These magnificent buildings,
with paved streets, ample water and
electric light plants, all unite in max
| ing Ell Pdso modern city, which If it
could be transplanted into the efete
east would, as an object lesson of pro-
gress, bring the blush of shame to many
a city which has had the growth of d
hundred years.
The broad, sandy valley, where
neither shrub nor blade of grass would
grow, under the ministering hand of
these hardy pioneers has brought forth
the finest fruits and flowers of temper
ate and tropic chimes.
The people themselves are hard to
describe: combining as they do the
open handed hos pitality of the 'front.'
iersman with the energI and push of
the typic al American man of business,
they make class of people within
whose gates a stran ger will always re-
ceive Il welcome such as will make
him feel that he is no real stranger,
but that he has arrived among friends.
The municipal affairs are being ably
C 0rducted under the administration of
Judge Magoffin and a council of rep
resentative citizens. No internal i'm
provemeut is overlooked, and business
5 conducted with the advanced ideas
which prevade the whole community.
The Ell Paso fire department is one
of which any city of thrice it's size
might be proud. The members are
ever ready TO respond to calls for pub
lie duty of whatever nature. In select
ing Pre- sident Edwards and Chief Con-
nor as leaders they show the same wis
dom that must have prev allied in all
their affairs in the upbuilding of such