El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1917-01-27
PIONEER resident Of Ell Pas

PIONEER resident OF FL Paso'
n who first started for the old
L u trading post Of Franklin u the
late 7O's, stopped at Santa Fe, New
Mexico, and failed to arrive here Hhli
q few years later. after the railroads
had brought fruition 20 the hopes
OF the Oldest settlers. explains that his
failure to be among the first LANDLORDS
Of this metropolis was due TO stories n
heard in the ancient New Mexico city
to the effect that there was no hope
that this town ever would be anything
b,,t an insignificant river crossing and
Mexican village, ana that sensible peo-
DIe should give II wide Oerth. oucl
stories were current 40 years ago anu
were believed by most fasteners ana
northerners. The pioneer retraced his
v-sv TO his home in Yankton, South Da-
kota- and thereby missed his great op-
portunity. He, like many others, could
not foresee the era of TRANSFORM eIlaI
railroad building that opened about
1880, during which period Ell Paso was
put on the map
Engineers Find Lowest Pass.
The natural barriers of high noun
tain ranges and winters OF great lehgln
that confronted cross country railroad
engineers in the Rocky mountain re-
Eion obliged them to seek better
route over the continental divide ana
finally the lowest pass IN the country
almost free from snowfall IN the cold
est months was found and the AWAKEN
ing of FL Paso, little hamlet slumoer-
ing in the lee of Mount Franklin, was
accomplished IS years ago
Roads Race for Entrance
More than one railway construction
outfit raced for FL Paso IN 1881, bQt
the Santa Fe men built the first rallS
down through old Fort Bliss along the
river early that year The Galveston,
Harrisburg and san Antonio and Texas
and Pacific. rivals. hurried to get the
right OF way up the valley from the
eastern part of FL Paso county, but the
Huntington men were first TO pass
Sierra blanca and capture the easy
Grade through the pass, and the GouIgs
made arrangements 70 use the u. H.
track into town and end their system
here shortly afterward the Southern
Pacific connected its rails with the o.
II, making joint use Of the OLD frame
station that still stands on Nam street
between Stanton and Kansas. ana soon
there grew great train yards and shops
on what is now some OF the most Nalu-
able land in the city
Central Connects Mexico City
Then the Mexican Central was pushed
southwark to connect the capital OF
that republic, 12O0 miles distant, with
its gate city on the Rio Grande- For
many years these railroads brought
settlers to city and valley and IinalIy
the wealthy Phelps Dodge corporation
Douglas along the Mexican boundary
TO FL Paso. erected its big shops and
. the first high office building in the
city, later acquiring the line built by
Charles 3. Eddy. known as the FL Paso
and Northeastern, and connecting Il
with the Rock Island system at Tucu1n-
carl, y NJ After few years the
Mexico and North Western, then known
as the Sierra Madre and Pacific, was
built which penetrates the immense
pine forests in western Chihuahua ana
enters the capital Of that state
Four important American transcon-
tinental railroad systems, one that
crosses Mexico from north 10 south and
another that is destined 10 connect II
Paso with an important seaport on the
west coast Of Mexico. make use OF the
union passenger station, erected about
10 years ago near the river in the west
end of the city. The lines are the
Southern Pacific, which in Texas is the
G. H & 5. A, extending from the Pa
cific coast to New Orleans; the Texas
and Pacific a part of the old Could
system. connecting FL Paso with St
Louis through northern Texas, and also
giving connection with New Orleans
the FL Paso and Southwestern system,
which handles Rock Island connections
from Tucumcari, y. NJ, TO Tucson
-Ariz, and from there has traffic ar
ranSements with the Southern Pacific
TO Los Angeles; the Rio -Grande and
Santa Fe. which Is the Texas name for
the santa Fe system, connecting -
Belle and Albuquerque y. NJ, with