Scenic Drive
El Paso, El Paso County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Scenic Drive As early as 1881, El Paso leaders promoted the idea of creating a place along the base of the Franklin Mountains to provide visitors a panoramic view of the area. The automobile brought new attention to the idea, and in 1920, the city council and Mayor Charles Davis approved construction of a scenic drive. Finished in October 1920, the route became a popular attraction. The 1.82-mile drive reaches an elevation of 4,222 feet, 500 feet above the Rio Grande. In 1932, the city contracted to widen and pave the road, and in 1934, Civilian Conservation Corps Company 855 (Fort Bliss) carried out additional culvert work. Scenic Drive continues to attract visitors to the view of El Paso, Ciudad Juárez and the surrounding Chihuahuan desert. (2004)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
El Paso boosters dreamed as early as 1881 of a road along the Franklin Mountains offering a grand view of the valley below. The automobile made it possible, and in 1920 the city built the winding Scenic Drive, which climbs to 4,222 feet — some 500 feet above the Rio Grande. Widened and paved in the 1930s, with culvert work by a Civilian Conservation Corps company from Fort Bliss, it remains a favorite lookout over El Paso, Ciudad Juárez, and the Chihuahuan Desert.
Why it matters
Scenic Drive marks the moment the automobile reshaped how Americans experienced their landscapes, turning a mountainside into a civic attraction with a cross-border view.
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Related people
- · Charles Davis
Related events
- · Civilian Conservation Corps
Themes & tags
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