El Paso and Southwestern Railroad Building
El Paso, El Paso County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Begun in Arizona in 1888, the El Paso and Southwestern Railroad completed its track to El Paso in 1902. The city became headquarters for the company's operations throughout the southwest and railroad shops were built here. In 1906 this seven-story office building was constructed for the railroad. The line was operating more than 1,200 miles of track when it was acquired by the Southern Pacific system in 1924. Owned by the Southern Pacific until 1969, this building reflects the importance of El Paso as a major rail center. (1981)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
The El Paso and Southwestern Railroad, begun in Arizona in 1888, reached El Paso in 1902 and made the border city the headquarters of its far-flung operations. This seven-story office building went up for the line in 1906, presiding over rail shops that served the Southwest. By the time the Southern Pacific absorbed the company in 1924, it was running more than 1,200 miles of track.
Why it matters
The building marks El Paso's rise as a major railroad crossroads, a role that drove the growth of the American Southwest.
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