One of the best things about El Paso is its unique topography. Rolling hills trickling down to wide open valleys mark much of the terrain here from both sides of the Franklin mountains. Nestled in the eastern foothills of the lower Franklin mountains is a gem of a park that was created almost a century ago in a neighborhood that used to be a copper mine. Mining was a huge way of life in the El Paso area through the first half of the 20th century, and the Manhattan Heights historic district of the city, in which the park is located, was no exception to this...
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| Walking trail ascending north from lower slopes of park |
The park today boasts an indoor swimming pool, a branch of the El Paso Public Library system, tennis courts, playground areas and trails...although drinking alcohol is not allowed at El Paso city parks, this wasn't always the case. Until May 1979, park visitors could imbibe freely, and Sundays were a popular day to hang out and drink beer according to area resident Mrs. Dr. Schuessler. Heavily involved with civic duty since moving to El Paso with her husband during World War II, she gave an interview with the El Paso Times about a drinking ban that was put into law for all city parks except those located on the South Side (though this was later applied to all city parks without exception) after East Side representative E.W. "Joe" Divis proposed a law that was passed by city council after concerns were raised by residents such as Mrs. Schuessler; there were concerns that people drinking at the park became too rowdy, and often the police were called in on Sundays and brought police dogs in tow to break up the ruckus.
She also talked about how the site of the park used to be a federally operated copper mine, which explains some of the surrounding street names such as Gold, Silver, Copper and Federal. Since copper prices kept falling and other mines in the area brought stiff competition that rendered the Federal Copper Company to be a failure, it was sold in the early 1910s to create a new residential subdivision that today features historic homes, many of which are still gorgeous and well preserved.
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| North side of the park along Copper Avenue facing west |
The park was designed to contain at least thirty different varieties of trees and plants, including Mountain Cottonwood, Arizona Ash, New Willow, Black Locust, oleanders, Crimson Fountain Grass and some flowers such as petunias and zinnias. The best part of Memorial Park, in my opinion, is the panoramic views you can enjoy from the north end of the Loretto neighborhood, south El Paso and Juarez as well as downtown and the nearby Franklin mountain range that marks the lower end of the Rocky Mountain range in North America. It's almost completely perfect for picnics, cookouts or just a romantic stroll with your sweetheart.
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| View of downtown El Paso from a hilltop |
A notable feature of the park is a granite monument situated on the northeast corner across from the library at the intersection of Copper Avenue and Grant Avenue that skirts the southern perimeter until it sharply curves north. Originally used as part of a drilling contest in 1905 by the American Mining Congress, the stone was made into a commemorative piece for El Paso soldiers slain during World War I. It had two previous sites before being permanently installed at the park and survived several bouts of vandalism until it found its "final resting place."
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| Facing east from the northern section of the park |
I have had the pleasure of coming to this park to swim, play tennis, hang out and eat...it's a great place to spend time with friends or a lover. You can walk around at a comfortable pace with a friend, hike up and down the hills for a bit more vigorous trek or just find a table to enjoy an impromptu picnic. Day or night, this park promises to recharge your batteries and give a pleasant respite from the day-to-day rat race of modern life.
Click here for a map to the park.
Credits:
"Neighborhood leader thinks city more impersonal" by Sam Rennick (El Paso Times, January 1, 1980)
"Stone Used in 1905 Drilling Contest Now Memorial to World War I Dead" (El Paso Times, May 29, 1955)
Memorial Park (El Paso Vertical File, Border Heritage Center of the El Paso Public Library retrieved July 1, 2012)
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