The Franklin Mountains in Old El Paso
Growing up in El Paso, Texas the Franklin Mountains very effectively divided the city. When I first got my driver’s license there weren’t any paved roads going through the mountains.
There was only a padlocked El Paso Natural Gas pipeline road through Anthony Gap. Since he was a semi big shot with EPNG my Dad had a key to the locks on the gates. So my Dad, me, and my Grandmother spent some great times out there. It seemed like the end of the world.
One time I was out there at night, and I saw hundreds, maybe thousands, of tarantulas swarming. I guess I interrupted some sort of mating ritual or something. I apologized and left just as quickly as possible. Truthfully it kind of freaked me out.
Trans Mountain Road may have been someone’s dream at that time, but there wasn’t even a dirt road leading up through Fusselman Canyon. Interstate 10 had not yet been built through downtown El Paso. So it was a fairly major journey to go from Northeast El Paso to Canutillo.
Now you can drive through the Franklin mountains at 60 mph either taking Anthony Gap via O’hare Road, or over Transmountain Road either in just a few minutes.
The first (and virtually the last) animal that I ever shot and killed for pleasure was a cotton tailed rabbit out near Anthony Gap. I shot it with a .22 Long Rifle. But it didn’t die right aw
ay like in the movies, so I shot it again. And then again, but it still lingered on. Looking right at me all the time with those sweet eyes. Finally it did die. My Dad skinned it for me and cut off one of the Rabbit’s feet for me to carry as good luck. I tried tanning the fur but did not do very well. The foot grossed me out over time, reminding me of that sweet little innocent bunny which didn’t want to die. Fifty years later I can still see those eyes like it happened yesterday.
Many years later I had to euthanize one of our Scottish Terriers who had gotten so old and sick that she couldn’t walk on her rear legs any more. I was of the opinion that if one is going to make the decision to take the life of a dear friend, that it is cruel and unusual punishment to take the animal to a vet. Especially if the animal is afraid of and hates vets like many dogs do.
So I took her out to the desert near Anthony Gap, which she always loved. She couldn’t make her rear legs work, but her tail was wagging and she was very alert and happy. I dug a proper sized grave with a shovel, gently laid her next to it, and then quickly from behind where she wasn’t aware it was coming I blew her brains out with a shotgun. Instantaneous death while happy.
As you can see, that general area of the world had a lot of meaning for me growing up. So a few days ago when I learned that there is a g
ap in the Franklin mountains north of Anthony Gap I was excited and interested. It is called Webb Gap. And right exactly at the top of the hills in Webb Gap there is an old mine named the Copiapo Mine. They were mining Jarosite up there. It is located at: N 32.06331, W-106.55028
I went up there with a couple of friends from the El Paso Mineral and Gem Society. I returned with some nice rocks including some that fluoresce green under short wave ultraviolet light due to their uranium content and some banded aragonite (CaCO3) which also fluoresces nicely.
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There was only a padlocked El Paso Natural Gas pipeline road through Anthony Gap. Since he was a semi big shot with EPNG my Dad had a key to the locks on the gates. So my Dad, me, and my Grandmother spent some great times out there. It seemed like the end of the world.
One time I was out there at night, and I saw hundreds, maybe thousands, of tarantulas swarming. I guess I interrupted some sort of mating ritual or something. I apologized and left just as quickly as possible. Truthfully it kind of freaked me out.
Trans Mountain Road may have been someone’s dream at that time, but there wasn’t even a dirt road leading up through Fusselman Canyon. Interstate 10 had not yet been built through downtown El Paso. So it was a fairly major journey to go from Northeast El Paso to Canutillo.
Now you can drive through the Franklin mountains at 60 mph either taking Anthony Gap via O’hare Road, or over Transmountain Road either in just a few minutes.
The first (and virtually the last) animal that I ever shot and killed for pleasure was a cotton tailed rabbit out near Anthony Gap. I shot it with a .22 Long Rifle. But it didn’t die right aw
ay like in the movies, so I shot it again. And then again, but it still lingered on. Looking right at me all the time with those sweet eyes. Finally it did die. My Dad skinned it for me and cut off one of the Rabbit’s feet for me to carry as good luck. I tried tanning the fur but did not do very well. The foot grossed me out over time, reminding me of that sweet little innocent bunny which didn’t want to die. Fifty years later I can still see those eyes like it happened yesterday.Many years later I had to euthanize one of our Scottish Terriers who had gotten so old and sick that she couldn’t walk on her rear legs any more. I was of the opinion that if one is going to make the decision to take the life of a dear friend, that it is cruel and unusual punishment to take the animal to a vet. Especially if the animal is afraid of and hates vets like many dogs do.
So I took her out to the desert near Anthony Gap, which she always loved. She couldn’t make her rear legs work, but her tail was wagging and she was very alert and happy. I dug a proper sized grave with a shovel, gently laid her next to it, and then quickly from behind where she wasn’t aware it was coming I blew her brains out with a shotgun. Instantaneous death while happy.
As you can see, that general area of the world had a lot of meaning for me growing up. So a few days ago when I learned that there is a g
ap in the Franklin mountains north of Anthony Gap I was excited and interested. It is called Webb Gap. And right exactly at the top of the hills in Webb Gap there is an old mine named the Copiapo Mine. They were mining Jarosite up there. It is located at: N 32.06331, W-106.55028I went up there with a couple of friends from the El Paso Mineral and Gem Society. I returned with some nice rocks including some that fluoresce green under short wave ultraviolet light due to their uranium content and some banded aragonite (CaCO3) which also fluoresces nicely.
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