History of El Paso

El Paso was originally the home of the Native Americans the Spaniards named the Manso and the Suma Indians. The region was claimed for Spain in 1598 by explorer Juan de Onate, who named the site El Paso del Norte.

Six decades later, priests began establishing a series of missions in what is now Juárez. In 1680, the Pueblo Indians drove Spanish settlers out of northern New Mexico; the settlers fled to the El Paso region with Christianized Indians who later became the Tiguas. The group founded Yselta and Socorro, the first towns of Texas and soon built the first Texas missions.

In the mid 19th century, the US Army constructed Ft. Bliss for defense of the city and surrounding areas.

In 1873, the city of El Paso was incorporated; the city became a boom town a decade later with the arrival of the railroad. For years the city had a Wild West reputation with gunfights and a renegade atmsosphere.

Return to El Paso Index