El Paso goes from 'hick town' to city of sophistication by 1896

During the 1950s, El Paso historian Cleofas Calleros wrote a regular column on the area's early history. Here is his first article from Aug. 24, 1952:

A new series is starting, the subject of which will be "The City of El Paso — Then and Now." After years of digging around, collecting, and filling old pictures that either had been discarded or forgotten, I feel that there is at my disposal sufficient material to interestingly illustrate El Paso of the gay '90s.

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The years 1896-1897 have been selected as the period from which to begin the investigation. They were important years, right before the turn of the century. El Paso by then was no wide spot in the road, no hick town, but a city, with its air of sophistication.

Men were addressed as gentlemen. Accordingly, women were held aloft and respected as ladies, which they were. The tough "guys" and the saloon "gals" had been replaced by a more genteel, more discreet, more purposeful gentry.

Paved with caliche

They rode the well "paved" (with caliche) and sprinkled streets in their fine buggies and hacks. They enjoyed first-class telephone service. The water, gas, electric light and sewerage systems here were a credit to the state of Texas. Then, as now, one international street railway connected the sister city of Juárez. But only then did citizens of both cities pass freely from one country to another, untroubled by some burdensome system of inspections, passports, visas and permits.

The El Paso Times, a morning publication, and three evening newspapers were circulated here. The evening dailies, the El Paso Tribune, the Evening Telegram and the El Paso Herald found a wide-reading audience. El Monitor, a Spanish weekly, served the Spanish-speaking public. The Visitor, a religious weekly, was sponsored by some of the churches.

Sixteen churches opened their doors to worshippers of eight denominations. Five public schools and three private institutions provided for the city's educational needs. An elegant opera house and a music hall were the cultural center of El Paso.

The most imposing structure was the County Courthouse, which drew attention from all over the state. The City Hall, in the process of being remodeled, was at the corner of West Overland and Santa Fe streets. The City Council met there every Friday at 7:30 p.m. Mayor Robert F. Campbell presided.

El Paso in 1896 was divided into four wards: First Ward was all that portion of the city west of El Paso and south of San Francisco streets; Second Ward covered the east side of El Paso and all of that area south of Magoffin; Third Ward constituents lived north of San Antonio Street to the intersection at Magoffin Avenue or east of Mesa Avenue; Fourth Ward was all that portion north of St. Louis Street, and all west of Mesa Avenue.

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The aldermen representing these wards in 1896 were James Clifford and John O'Keefe, First Ward; George W. Davis and F. Frederick Kachler, Second Ward; J.L. Whitmore and John J. Stewart, Third Ward; and Edwin C. Roberts and A.S. Schutz, Fourth Ward.

Other city officials were James E. Townsend, city attorney; Charles W. Fassett, treasurer; Leigh Clark, recorder; James H. Smith, assessor and collector; and George C. Wimberly, city engineer. Dr. A White was the city physician, and James T. Nesom was the scavenger and pound-keeper. The city pound, incidentally, was at the corner of Chihuahua and Second streets.

Directory printed

By 1896, according to that year's city directory, 15,468 souls led their lives within the confines of El Paso. The directory was thorough and adequate, having been compiled and published by the reputable firm of Evans and Worley of Dallas. Frank J. McDevitt also compiled a city directory late in 1895, which was printed by the El Paso Steam Printing Co. and released in January 1896.

Had Walter Winchell or some such figure been covering El Paso "after dark," he would have had difficulty finding much excitement to report. For the city was a quiet, orderly, respectable place in which to live. So peaceful was it that a police force of only seven patrolmen and one mounted law officer was deemed necessary.

Edwin M. Fink was the chief of police; captain of police was Frank Carr; the seven policemen were James B. Chipman, James M. Kinne, John N. Selman, Joseph S. Fernandez, John Denniston, John R. Tyra and Samuel V. Fuller. T.D. Featherly was the jailer.

The Police Department was quartered in the courtrooms of the City Hall. This was considered a logical place since its activities closely coincided with the daily sessions of court held at 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.

From 300 to 15,000

Such is the first brief sketch of El Paso of 1896. It was a far different type of place from which the movies would have you imagine. It had, since 1880, grown and prospered, with an increase in population from less than 300 to more than 15,000. Thanks to the railroads.

In 1827, Jose Maria Ponce de Leon wandered across the Rio Bravo from Paso del Norte and decided that he would live over here.

He built his house on the exact location of the present White House department store, and established himself as the first permanent resident in Downtown El Paso. The Rio Grande flowed past his front yard.

It wasn't long before he had neighbors. And by 1850, the Rev. Ramon Ortiz, pastor of Mision de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe in Paso del Norte, had decided that the people across the river should have a church. So he founded Iglesia de San Jose de Concordia el Alto, the first church in El Paso, at Concordia.

In 1868, "El Fuerte Azul," which is more familiarly known today as Fort Bliss, was moved to Concordia, where it remained until 1876. The old fort and the church were visited by the Rev. Mother Mary Praxedes, superior of the Sisters of Loretto in Las Cruces, when she traveled through here in 1880 to visit St. Joseph's Academy in San Elizario.

Trish Long is the El Paso Times' librarian and spends her time in the morgue, where the newspaper keeps its old clippings and photos. She may be reached at 546-6179 or tlong@elpasotimes.com.

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