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The El Paso Museum of History is a fantastic look into the culture and history of the city of El Paso, Texas. It’s located downtown.
History
The El Paso Museum of History was founded in 1974 as the Cavalry Museum. It was renamed in 1980 and the current building opened on June 16, 2007. It boasts a collection of over 10,000 artifacts, images, documents, and other items.
Visiting
The El Paso Museum of History is open Wednesday to Saturday from 10am to 6pm. Admission is always free with a suggested donation of US$3 (as of August 2023). Pictures without flash as well as videos are welcome.
DIGIE
Before entering the museum, there’s an impressive interactive digital wall, the Digital Information Gateway in El Paso (DIGIE). It was created in 2012 and is made up of five touch sensitive screens measuring 35 feet in length.
Permanent Exhibition
The El Paso Museum of History contains a permanent exhibition highlighting the over 1,000 years of human history in the El Paso del Norte region. It also covers prehistoric times as well as the geography of the region.
Artifacts on display include a cotton gin, items from a copper converter building, period furniture, items from the Mexican Revolution in the early 20th century, tools, and guns.
There’s also a wall highlighting the importance of Fort Bliss to the city. It was founded in 1849 and is the second largest military installation in the United States and the largest employer in the area.
Neighborhoods and Shared Memories
The Neighborhoods and Shared Memories exhibit focused on the two oldest neighborhoods in the city: El Segundo Barrio and Chihuahuita. It displayed photographs, oral history interviews, artifacts, and more. They explored family life, leisure time, the evolution of community, work, and social status.
Made in El Paso: Cowboy Boots
A temporary exhibition highlighted the cowboy boot making industry in El Paso. It displayed the process from design to the finished product, and how local traditions and influence have affected cowboy boots made in El Paso. There were some impressive hand-made boots, including one that featured 23.5 karat gold Art Deco-inspired tops.
Drawing on the Past
Another temporary exhibition focused on El Paso during the childhood of American artist and war correspondent Tom Lea (1907-2001). Lea was born in and died in El Paso, and most of his works were about Texas and north-central Mexico. On display were paintings, a vintage firefighting wagon, and a horse watering fountain.
