Tuesday, August 05, 2014

El Paso's Scenic Drive


Routinely voted one of the best places to take visitors to show them El Paso, Scenic Drive!

The historical marker at Scenic Drive in El Paso says, "As early as 1881, El Paso leaders promoted the idea of creating a place at the base of the Franklin Mountains to provide visitors a panoramic view of the area. The automobile brought attention to the idea and in 1920 the City Council and Mayor Charles Davis approved construction of a scenic drive. Finished in October 1920, the route became a popular atraction.  The 1.82 mile drive reaches an elevation of 4,222 feet, 500 feet above the Rio Grande.  In 1932, the City contracted to widen and pave the road, and in 1934, Civilian Conservation Corps Company 855 (Fort Bliss) carried out additional culvert work.  Scenic Drive continues to attract visitors to the view of El Paso, Cuidad Juarez, and the surrounding Chihuahuan Desert

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