Thursday, January 30, 2020

Immigrant Stories in Books




Jeanine Cummins' American Dirt has taken the country by storm in an uproar of discussion on immigrant stories, immigrant portrayal in literature, and who can be the stewards of these stories.

For now, we can offer a selection of works about immigration experiences both fictional and fact.

Here are a few immigrant stories from the RAZA Collection:

Crossing Over by Ruben Martínez

The River Flows North by Graciela Limón

A Glass of Water by Jimmy Santiago Baca

House Built on Ashes by José Antonio Rodríguez

From This Wicked Patch of Dust Sergio Troncoso

The Border Patrol Ate My Dust by Alicia Alarcón


Check out the RAZA Collection for more books by Mexican American authors and books about Mexican Americans.


The library's RAZA Collection had its beginnings during the Chicano movement of the 1970's. This collection is used both for research and recreational reading, the collection continues to grow as the publication of new works by and about Mexican Americans continues to flourish.



Wednesday, January 29, 2020

Upcoming Events - February 2020

Border Heritage Out and About 

Border Heritage will be participating in the El Paso Museum of History's 

For more information on the event see the event page here.


Learn more about the DIGIE here


Friday, January 24, 2020

National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month

January

National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month

One group who have comprised a large part of the victims of such actions as human trafficking is immigrants. People of our border region especially have heard many cautionary tales of coyotes and the dangers that immigrants face during their journey.

All of these stories should be remembered like all aspects of history to be learned from. One such story is an incident which occurred in Sierra Blanca, TX in 1987:

A headline that reads "18 found dead in boxcar" was splashed across the local papers on the morning of July 3rd, 1987. Of the 19 men that entered the train's boxcar in an El Paso railyard the previous night, one man was found alive in the morning. The sole survivor was able to survive through a small hole that had been pierced in the floor of the nearly airtight cargo holder. Over the following weeks, the papers memorialized the victims through interviews with family members and biographies. Men who were on a last trip to earn money for their family never made it to their destination, and instead their families and friends were left the task of identifying their bodies.

If you are interested in reading the article of July 3rd, 1987 or the articles that followed, they can be accessed through the:

  • El Paso Times Microfilm
  • El Paso Herald Post Microfilm
  • Southwest Vertical File on Immigrants - 1987 - current



Friday, January 17, 2020

Hole in the Wall

January 17, 1920 - The Volstead Act became enforceable. From today's legal status of alcohol throughout the country, we all know that that effort failed and was repealed. In fact, its failure is now celebrated through National Bootlegger's Day which is January 17th, the anniversary of the day prohibition became enforceable. While many regions saw a surge in many different criminal aspects, only in El Paso would the laws be abided by going to another country down the street.

Prohibition Parade in Henrietta, TX

A Hole in the Wall was an establishment that served alcohol just beyond the United States border during the time of prohibition. Many of these establishments were peppered across the border to meet the needs of those seeking libations. In an El Paso Herald Post article released on October 15, 1931, authorities suggest the impracticality of speakeasies in El Paso. Speakeasies in other cities were able to operate through the anonymity available in large cities which was not available in El Paso which was still relatively small. They also operated under the knowledge of authorities by paying protection fees. This would not allow for competition with establishments in Juarez who could legally sell alcohol.

Confiscated Whiskey Stills

While alcohol establishments were nonexistent according to law enforcement, bootleggers could be found in various places in El Paso, most notably, taxi stands.

Anti Prohibition Booklet

Prohibition had many groups at odds with each other. According to Art Leibson of the El Paso Times, El Paso gained the nickname 'Cradle of Repeal' for being one of the earliest places to launch efforts toward the repeal of Prohibition and the 18th Amendment. Even so, the Women's Christian Temperance Union was also active in El Paso. The W.C.T.U. was one of the champions of the anti-alcohol movement.



*The images in this post are not part of the El Paso Public Library Collections. They can be accessed through Portal to Texas History by clicking on the images.


Thursday, January 9, 2020

Seeking Nature

Franklin Mountains
The Community of El Paso has had a tumultuous relationship with nature throughout history as with any other location. The natural formations that can be found in the area have always been of interest to explorers, nature enthusiasts, and scientists. This can be seen in many aspects of the area, but none more so than the history of higher education. The State Schools of Mines and Metallurgy at El Paso initially began with a single degree option of Mining from its inception. As the school developed, they added the option of Metallurgy and later Geology. Studies of Geology continue to this day at UTEP.

The Rio Grande of which the City of El Paso has been so well known for is also responsible for the city having a further diversified wildlife. Not only does the city have the desert landscape of the Chihuahuan Desert, but the wetlands area plentiful with life that could not be sustained otherwise would not have developed. Currently, the Rio Bosque Wetlands are under the care of UTEP through a grant project. While the Rio has given this gift of biodiversity, it wreaked havoc throughout the history of El Paso. Before the river was controlled through dams and canals, flooding was an issue which led to loss of life and property.

El Paso 1897
El Paso 1887
The Mountains of El Paso are probably the most prominent geological feature of the city as the city was built around the Franklin Mountains. Mammoth Rock has offered an interesting landmark to people passing through the Franklin Mountains on Transmountain. Whether it is the Franklin Mountains within the city or the Guadalupe Mountains to the east, they hold many clues to the history of this area with fossils, tracks, minerals, and striations. The interest in local natural history led to the establishment of Celebration of Our Mountains in 1994 who in 2019 was granted Non-profit status whose goal is to offer educational and recreational events in which people will learn more about the natural history of this part of the Chihuahuan Desert.

Places to Explore Nature of 

El Paso and the Surrounding Area


Hueco Tanks


Friday, January 3, 2020

Carnegie in El Paso


Carnegie's Gift to El Paso


Preserving memories of the building supported by a Carnegie grant of $37,500.


The library opened in 1904 and was demolished in 1968. The architects were Mauran, Russel and Garden of St. Louis.


While El Paso may no longer have the Carnegie Library, Carnegie's gift continues to live on in historical collections. The images above and others can be found on our partner page at Portal to Texas History. The first image is a metal plaque which hung outside the El Paso Carnegie Library and now is a part of the Border Heritage Center collection. 

The Carnegie Library was not the beginning of libraries in El Paso, the first effort in establishing a library was by Mary Irene Stanton, a schoolteacher, who founded the library and donated her book collection in 1894. The initial library site was a rented room in Sheldon Block. In 1897, L M Sheldon offered the library a larger room free of rent.


Over time, the collection grew as did the Library Association which oversaw the library. It was when Sheldon Block was remodeled into the Sheldon Hotel, pictured above, that the library found a new home. The collections moved to El Paso City Hall in 1895. In 1900, the idea to have a standalone building for the library became popular with the public who then began to petition for it. It was in 1902 when Carnegie granted funds for a library that El Paso was finally able to build the first public library building.


For more local history, visit the Border Heritage Center.



The month of March may hold many reasons to celebrate......Spring Break, National Read Across America Day, National Pi Day, St. Patrick'...