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The Mayflower arrived in the New World with its load of Pilgrims in late 1620.
More than 20 years earlier in 1598 the Spaniard Don Juan de Onate crossed the Rio Grande river and passed through what is now called El Paso, Texas. Since this location was at a natural pass through the Rocky Mountains, he called it El Paso.
Like many places on the earth, this particular little piece of ground has been ruled by
various countries and cultures over mankind’s history. There were aboriginal people here 8,000 - 10,000 years ago. Spain owned it, so did Mexico, and for a while Texas was an independant country.
Like so many locations all over the planet, when ownership did change hands it was often the result of greed, warfare, and death. And religion was used as an excuse to make it socially acceptable.
After the Mexican-American war, in February 1848 El Paso became part of the United States of America.
There are various historical plaques around town commemorating all of this. One interesting bit of trivia: The gunman and lawyer John Wesley Hardin killed more men than Billy The Kid and Jessie James put together.
To get to boundary marker number one between Mexico and the USA you have to go over a very old bridge over the Rio Grande river.
More than 20 years earlier in 1598 the Spaniard Don Juan de Onate crossed the Rio Grande river and passed through what is now called El Paso, Texas. Since this location was at a natural pass through the Rocky Mountains, he called it El Paso.
Like many places on the earth, this particular little piece of ground has been ruled by
various countries and cultures over mankind’s history. There were aboriginal people here 8,000 - 10,000 years ago. Spain owned it, so did Mexico, and for a while Texas was an independant country.Like so many locations all over the planet, when ownership did change hands it was often the result of greed, warfare, and death. And religion was used as an excuse to make it socially acceptable.
After the Mexican-American war, in February 1848 El Paso became part of the United States of America.There are various historical plaques around town commemorating all of this. One interesting bit of trivia: The gunman and lawyer John Wesley Hardin killed more men than Billy The Kid and Jessie James put together.
To get to boundary marker number one between Mexico and the USA you have to go over a very old bridge over the Rio Grande river.
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Boundary marker Number 1 is at N 31.78395, W-106.52978
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