1955 Map of El Paso

About this map

The Fort Bliss Military Reservation and the sprawling Biggs Air Force Base dominate the northern and eastern reaches of this mid-1950s border landscape. The city of El Paso fans out from the base of the Franklin Mountains, with its urban core defined by a dense network of schools, parish churches like St Patricks Sch, and the historic Concordia Cemetery. Along the southern boundary, the Rio Grande serves as the international line with Mexico, curving around Cordova Island. The map illustrates a city in transition, where new residential developments like Cielo Vista and Aero Vista emerge near the El Paso International Airport, while the industrial and rail infrastructure of the Southern Pacific and Texas and Pacific railroads remains vital to the riverfront economy.