Just days before El Paso's Scenic Drive's 106th anniversary, the roadway atop the Franklin Mountains has been closed indefinitely after rainstorms damaged the route that has offered views of El Paso and Juárez for more than a century.
Scenic Drive is closed in both directions "until further notice," the El Paso Police Department posted on Facebook Sept. 24.
Having opened on Oct. 6, 1920, the El Paso landmark had actually been considered as early as 1882.
The following is the reporting done on the proposed road skirting the rim of the mesa:
Scenic Drive was a long time in planning
A Nov. 12, 1912, El Paso Herald editorial mentioned that all the property owners on the "big mesa" had accepted the plans of the special committee for replatting the mesa to include a "wonderful scenic drive along
the mesa's edge."
"Without the mesa drive, anything El Paso might do in future would be wholly commonplace and ordinary," the editorial said. "The most important thing right now is to cinch the right of way. The improvement of the driveway may be taken up gradually, and the cost distributed over many years. But we must save the mesa's rim to the whole people for all time."
The Herald of Oct. 1, 1914 announced that a free barbecue was planned "to advertise proposed scenic highway" and that 10,000 people were expected to attend.
Scenic Drive early plans
On Aug. 15, 1915, the Morning Times reported that the plans for a scenic drive had actually been considered as early as 1882.
"The plan to have a scenic driveway skirting the rim of the mesa is exactly 31 years old this month. The outline of that highway was drawn just that many years ago. Today the present proposed scenic roadway follows that route.
"At the time the mesa scenic route was drawn there was not a house west of Santa Fe Street or north of Montana. It would seem that the plan had been prepared by a prophet who saw far into the future and seeing, saw the scenic roadway with concrete walls on which were strings of wrought iron posts supporting electric lights which shone on the joyful people passing on the roadway. In fancy he might have stood against the wall and looked down at the lights of the city below ... seeing El Paso as it is today, a thriving, prosperous city which is fast taking its place as the foremost city of the southwest.
"That prophet was J. Fisher Satterthwaite, who planned the present addition which bears his name." (The Satterthwaite Addition was later named Sunset Heights.) "That he was really the father of the scenic driveway was discovered when City Engineer George Espy unearthed map No. 2 of the Satterthwaite Addition, which, forgotten, had been lying among the files of the engineer's office for many years.
"The map was dated 1884 and, according to the notation on it, had been filed in the county clerk's office in August 1882. However, the map was not published until two years later.
"'The Mesa drive' can be plainly seen on the map and the lines marking out the roadway across the mesa run in the direction of Mt. Franklin. ...
"One comment on the map reads thus: 'The remarkable growth of El Paso within the past two years since it has become the railway center of five trunk lines, making the Southern Pacific system between the eastern states and Pacific Ocean, is too generally known to need any comment. But the position of El Paso with Mexico is as yet generally imperfectly understood. The late completion of the Mexican Central railway from the City of Mexico to this point will probably make this the only railroad frontier town and gateway to Mexico for some years, and this alone will very materially aid in making El Paso the metropolis of the southwest.
"'The (Satterthwaite Addition) owner has graded in a first-class manner all the main streets ... and has made a rule never to sell lots except on graded streets. Some of the streets are brought to as true a grade as any in any eastern city and are ready for the horse car tracks. In this grading the owner has expended over $25,000 besides having had the benefit of the government appropriation of $5,000 used on Ochiltree and Upson avenues as an approach to Fort Bliss.'
"It was stated that when map No. 1 was published one year prior to Map No. 2 there were but few houses in the addition, but with the publication of the second map in 1884 there were 80 houses. Whether the scenic route was on the first map is not known, that map not having been located.
"The map found created considerable interest yesterday and many old-timers came in to view it.
"'If the scenic drive was planned 31 years ago it seems that we should be able to have it within a year,' said Mayor Tom Lea."
Scenic Drive opening day
It would be another five years before Scenic Drive was opened on Oct. 6, 1920. The Herald reported:
"An imposing array of El Paso motorists accepted the invitation of mayor Charles Davis to participate Wednesday afternoon in the formal opening of the scenic drive across the face of Mount Franklin. The work has been completed with exception of additional protecting walls to be placed along the outer edge of dangerous turns.
"The procession was led by an automobile in which city alderman and W.C. Stewart, city engineer, rode and was followed by the mayor's automobile with whom president-elect Alvaro Obregon of Mexico; Gov. Ignacio Enriquez of Chihuahua; Abel Rodriguez, former governor of Chihuahua; Gov. F.A. Borquez of Sonora; and Gov. O.A. Larrazolo of New Mexico rode. Representatives from the El Paso Mexican Consulate and officials of the international exposition also participated, besides numbers of citizens who followed the procession across the mountain.
"The drive was closed to all traffic until the time of the parade, and was opened immediately following, to remain open continuously. Traffic officers were stationed to enforce the speed law limit fixed at 10 miles per hour.
"The opening program consisted simply of the drive from west to east. The procession formed at the Paso del Norte hotel, and followed Mesa Avenue to the beginning of the drive. No speeches were made, and inasmuch as the council has deemed it wise not to purchase a tablet at present as a matter of economy, no unveiling exercises had been arranged."
Trish Long may be reached at tlong@elpasotimes.com.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: From mesa dream to mountain drive: The history of El Paso's Scenic Drive
