El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-02-24


international dams at Engle and Ele-
plant Butte.
About 1850. the town was laid out
and the name was changed from
franklin to Ell PasO From ABOUT lne
year 1865 forward, El PaSO began TO De
something more than mere pass. II
was the terminus of three stage INES
or mail routes one from Santa te, N.
NJ, one from San Antonio, Texas, ana
one from Chihuahua.
The san Antonio, Butterfield and
Southern Overland trails were all prac-
Jically the same route which ran from
San Antonio to Fort COnchO- There
was also a line from Fort Worth TO
Fort COncho, which came by Conan
che, BTOWnWOOd and Coleman City and
met the other line at Fort COnchO.
From there it went westward as one
trail, passing through Fort Stockton,
Fort Davis, Barrel Springs, FL Muerto,
Van Horn Wells, Eagle Springs, Fort
Quitman. The next stations were
Camp Rice, Pierre Point and FL PasO.
Overland street here was sOcalled
because it formed part of this tran.
What IS now Overland block is built
on the site of the corral and depot
of the Overland trail After leaving
Ell Paso. it went directly to Fort Yuma
and from there to Los Angeles, Cali
fOrnia. The san Antonio Mail company
had its headquarters in an old adobe
building where the present Sheldon
Crude Justice in Early Days.
At this time conditions were very
bad There were no courts at all but
If the community thought a man had
done wrong he was simply hanged.
The first COrOner'S Jury was the result
Of a murder. Although they knew
who did the deed, the means by which
II was done could not be decided upon.
Uncle" Ben DoWeu, the postmaster,
said that some day a court would be
oct Ia r-Tn MI
be responsible for the affair. Immed-
lately cOrOner's jury was organized
which gave the verdict that the de-
ceased met his death from gun shot
wounds. at the hands Of parties IN
known"
First school Established.
About 1879 the first school was es-
tablished on the site of the present
Elite. There were only about five
American women here then and the
first American child was born in 1851.
in 1881, came the railroad and with
it many bad men" There were, as
result naturally many bloody scenes on
account of which south FL PasO street
was named Bloody Row" AS early as
1888, there were eight road centerS at
Ell PasO. The county seat also was
moved to Ell PasC. The currency was
the Mexican silver dollar at par and
the Mexican ounce gold coin worth
SIC.
The little border town seemed to
have a fascination for all. Its inhab-
itants were men of character, men Of
assertve. individual, self reliant hon
Orable and gentlemanly characters.
These contributions of character are
almost unlimited but that which most
Of all has contributed to FL Pasos
progress is the variety and extent of
its resources and elements of strength"
Its inexhaustible mineral wealth, fer
tile lands valuable, grazing lands, its
f1nawpn1lnT climate the 1n0nOTf2nc9
Of its position as a military strategic (
point, are great factors in its progress. !
1t is the Hub of the Southwest" the
chief distributing point and popular
city.
A mere pass, or only a little border [
town so years ago, FL Paso has grown !
into a metropolis by its rare ability TO /
progress.