El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-01-27
RY L. H. pAvIs.l

W that have taken pace IN tiie
Az old landmarks in the business
and residence portions Of FL Paso that
were here during the first decade
dating from June, 1881. when the
southern Pacific and Santa Fe rail-
roads reached Fl Paso. On the first
Of May, that year. the Southern Pa
cific was completed to the west bank
Of the Rio Grande opposite the South
western cement plant and the piles
were being driven for the railroad
bridge.
Into Ell PasO BY Stage.
Passengers from the west and north
we're then transferred 20 this side
on a ferry and thence to the town on
stages.
On the stage road down, the visitor
passed by the old Fort Bliss oiIlcers
quarters and soldiers barracks ana
the old Hart homestead and mill and
thence assembled the hill where the
new vfaduct is at present called Mun9y
Hafrffs ana Sunset Heights, formerly
called SatterthWaite's addition, tneg
only barren rocks ana grease"OOu
mesa. void Of any houses ,. e..
From that eminence the VISITOR LlIsS
bebeId the beautiful, green Vailey OF
Inc Rio Grands and the WHITE oIo
church and buildings OF the ancient
cf+v ~ Paso del NOrte; and then, oetoW
Ia. ba saw the little hamlet OF FL
Paso an adobe settlement OF a rev
hundred. inhabitants. Unoer the cary
morning sunlight the panoramic view
-r-ae beautiful and to the OpLlLnlallCs
,-=efo,s If a future metropolis seemed
to spread out below him Two great
armies OF laborers were WorklBg On On
the grades Of the SOuIhefh FaCl-It
and the santa Fe railroads, apPat Snlig
~ a race TO reach the goal Of FL Paso
old san Francisco Street.
The stage descending the nlIls
entered San Francisco street, then
fbe principal business thorough1are, az
Z point in front OF the pres yI-s
chamber Of commerce oultolns' l-lS-i
Ire extreme western limit Of the town
rrhe first buildings met on the SCUM
side were the residence OF ~
Mills between Leon ana Ohl nua--Lua
streets where the chamber OF com
1850 and Recl<hart's old assay office
sfand and on the left or norCn Sue
was the old flauron SNAPPED au0ye
house where the new RecklaIl Dullu-
fnr and the Lesinsky bullolng no"
80 Across -1e street was the old beer
hall in the old Horntke adODe mousse
now Charles place, the 1lNo1 %
charles Beisswenger, ana soutn o. ~
latter on the southwest corner -
San Francisco and Santa Re streets
was the adobe house 9nu law 01llSe
of T. p Hague and ". n ColdWeu-
Across and on the soutnsdsl ~ -5 e
were the adobe houses occupied Dy
the First National bank o. W HollSIs
rnauazer). now occupied by LonsWells
transfer and stables From there 70
the corner Of El Paso slIseI 49,, w.
long adobe structure, on the present.
site OF The Joseph Schultz BUILDING
now owned by ". ca Walz Co
The first business house met on the
north side OF san Francisco street was
that Of KetcIsen & Degetau, in neat
one story adobe structure covering
the present Samuel Schultz or AlDerta
hotel building. The manager OF
Ketelsen & Degatau at that time was
Adolph Krakauer, the head salesman
was George Sauer and Max Weber was
Next east of this was the one story
adobe house occupied by the federal
telegraph and postOffice, on the site
OF the new two story stone building
OF Krakauer, York & Moye- Next east
was the long one story bu-iding- the
western half where the HOyt Furni-
ture Co, building now IS, then being
occupied by the dry goods store OF
Solomon & AdOlph Sehutz; and the
eastern half clear TO the corner, De
ing occupied by the big store Of
Where Fl Paso Began.
On the latter site IS the n Paso
herald building. constructed by Ben
Schuster and Leon Blum in the early
SOS and occupied first by .Schuster
Bros then by Stuart & McNalrs and
Eneu
the Center Block hotel
Around the corner to the north was
the old Central hoteI, a onesIory
adobe house OF which John DOugner
was the host Here Ben Moore had MS
gambling rooms in 1882. This was
on the western half OF the present
site Of the new seven suory " hile
House building adjoining the heralu
building on the east A second story
was placed on il the same year, MADE
OF adobe, which the flood OF July y
1881 demolished; and another (Wooden)
second story was built in its place
This. the Oldest hotel in Fl Paso was
destroyed by fire in the late sO,s ana
replaced by the old Plaza bulidlng OF
August Andreas. The Plaza Dulld1ng
mad lrst one story, then two. Ihen
was torn down TO make way for the
new White House.
Next east Of this was q low adobe
building the original ranch house or
Ponce de Leon, built in 1927, on the
present site Of the Mills building. The
de Ponce ranch house in 1882 was used
for offices. such as the assay office
Of A r. Lendner and G. n. Marshall,
Col Angus. contractor and architect
John Julian. local agent Of Wells
Fargo and ". B.. Hooper's wholesale
liquor store, a beer saloon and a
restaurant In front Of this house
were adobe portales.
The Famous aGrand Central" Hotel.
On the site OF this in 1850 j. T.
Crosby and Arson Mills. having pur-
t--A11I-A E-AI 6ADAuAr eLEtLtA AA-I 49,
Grand Central hotel three story
brick building. John DOugher rented
II and ran the hotel until his death
Tom Westbrook, the old pioneer, was
lately manager Of the Oriental hotel
OF Dallas; and finally Ssm Ecker, who
ran It till it burned down Qiterally)
from the top down to the basement,
about the year 1891. In 1895, part OF
the site was covered with a one story
brick building, which was occupied by
The Herald and the water company
office Later second story was
britt ana the whole site covered with
the well known Mills Building, in which
The III Peso Herald lad its quarters
until its renewal into its own buil1-
ing near hy.
in FL Paso-"Pioneer Plaza" As