The Rainmakers of 1891
El Paso, El Paso County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Working on the theory that explosives could cause rainfall because many war battles had been followed by rain, the U.S. Department of Agriculture conducted experiments in rainmaking. During a West Texas drought in 1891 the agency brought the experiment to Midland, with some success. Desperate for rain, El Paso city leaders convinced the Department to come here and try the same procedure. On September 18, some 370 charges of dynamite and other explosives were fired from the heights of Mt. Franklin, but no rain resulted. Only a heavy dew was reported. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836 - 1986
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Drought was a constant threat on the arid plains of West Texas, and in 1891 the U.S. Department of Agriculture tested a bold theory: that the concussions of battle explained why rain so often followed war, and that explosives might therefore coax storms from a clear sky. After trials near Midland, desperate El Paso leaders brought the experiment here, firing hundreds of dynamite charges from the heights of Mt. Franklin on September 18. The sky answered with nothing more than a heavy dew.
Why it matters
This early government experiment captures the era's boundless faith in science and technology to conquer a hostile climate, and the hard limits nature placed on settling the American West.
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