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

MISS GERTRUDE WINDSOR SMITH
row stands the Mills building, a
magnificent Il story concrete struc-
tUre. At the entrance one may see
. small brass plate concentrating
the name of the city's founder and the
date of its first home.
The ranch of Don Juan prospered,
and the small settlement, including
Mexican and indian wOrkmen, was
known by the name Of FL Rancho
de Ponce The nearest neighbOrs
were PaSO del NOrte. directly across
the Rio Bravo, and the mission set
uCment of Ysleta and San EliZariO.
Attempts to establish q mission
somewhere near the present site of
FL PasO were made by franciscan
friars in 1850, but they were few in
number and the indians massacred
the entire band.
EsIetn Founded In 1851.
Ysleta, one Of the oldest settle
ments in the southwest, was, accord
ing to Bandeier, founded in 1881 by
some 400 indian captives from Ysleta,
New Mexico. The mission church was
established by Franciscan trlarS, who
were most successful in converting
the indians to their religion. The
walls were of adobe and extremely
thick; the interior decorated by great
beams of solid wood, hand carved
With infinite labor by the indians.
These decorations were always val
ued very highly by the different res
ident padres, but unfortunately were
DESTROYED by fire in 1907. In 1746
the number Of Christian indians in
New Mexico and in the vicinity Of
FL PasO was approximately $4,000.
Take Refuge in Old Church.
All Spanish settlers took refuge in
this historic old church during the
uDrisings and Apache depredatiOns.
which were many and frequent The
native indians were Slnecues. and
their descendants, though greatly
AIexicanized, still hold wierd dances
and ceremonies in the square in
front of the mission.
The Spanish colonization of the
Southwest was carried on by the
franciscan friars, and our chief
source of information of this ex-
tremely interesting period is CLEANED
from the Memorial of father AlOnzo
Founder is Buried in Juarez.
Ponce de Leon, who with his
daughter, is buried in JUarez, finally
sCld his entire ranch to W. T. Smith,
and American, for $4,000. William
Smith was n partner with De Icons
sCninlaw, Varela, and they did a
Franklin and san Antonio.
William Smith. in turn. sold the
land to five others, judge J. T.
Crosby, st. Vrain, Rohman, and Gil
lett Bros, and in 1850 the settlement
became village under the name Of
Franklin. It is interesting to know
that after the close of the war be
tween the states the United States
government cOnfiscated the property,
claiming that the owners were rebels
After some time the supreme court
Of the United States decided in
March, 1868, that the property should
not be cOnfiscated. Owing to the Rio
Grandes changing its bed very fire.
juently during high water there
were many and very bitter disputes as
to whether properties lay in Mexico,
or United States. Cases that have
been on trial for years still remain
unsettled. In the days of the De Leon
grant. owing to his loss by the rivers
changing its course, he requested /
more land but was refused by the |
government. Later the river appar- /
emily paid back its debt, and his /
increased to 500 acres.
In 1858 the river ran about where /
the old Santa Fe depot is now, and |
It's bed ran through Washington 1
Park. About 1896, the river flooded /
The entire southern part of the town. (
md firemeu, in hastilly-made flat !
boats, saved the unfortunate Next /
ans whose adobe huts were being /
continually undermined.
On the old ranch house site there I
vas kept boarding house, whose /
andlady used to post notices on /
aTge cottonwood tree whenever one /
If her boarders was behind in the
)ayment of his board bill.
FL PasO street then known as the 4