Rio Grande Trails & Tales

See where El Paso Water treats Rio Grande water to drinking water standards during the irrigation season (March-September) for distribution to customers. The W.E. Robertson Water Treatment Plant was completed in 1943 to serve a population of 107,000. The plant was expanded in 1949, and in 1967 the Elwood J. Umbenhauer Plant was constructed. Together,…

Until 1882 when Dr. Robert Koch discovered the Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, it was thought that the best cure was plenty of sunshine and a dry climate. Our El Paso/Las Cruces southwest climate of mild winters, low rainfall and humidity and plenty of sunshine were just the right places for sanitoriums for tuberculars. With the completion of…

Traversed for centuries by Native Americans, Spaniards, Mexicans, and then Americans, the San Andres Pass between Las Cruces and Alamogordo and White Sands, offers stunning views and vistas. Along this pass, Sheriff Pat Garrett, the man who killed the notorious gunfighter, Billy the Kid, was himself killed. The Pass recalls other notables such as Albert…

Recently Carol Brown led us on a hike to the Ruby Hayner Mine, an abandoned fluorite mine in the Organ Mountains. The trip included visiting the remains of a house called the Topp Hut. “The initial mining camp of Organ was officially established as a community back in 1883, though there had been mining activity since…