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UTEP Special Collections Portal to Texas History
The Portal to Texas History is a gateway to rare, historical, and primary source materials from or about Texas. Created and maintained by the University of North Texas Libraries, the Portal leverages the power of hundreds of content partners across the state to provide a vibrant, growing collection of resources.
As a partner Special Collections at the University of Texas at El Paso include book, serial, photographic, and manuscript materials about the history of El Paso and Northern Mexico. The UTEP Library contains digital copies of books from the period of the Mexican Revolution and has participated in a project that digitized the local paper.
We joined this initiative January 2012.
Statement on Archival Content and Description
The oral history can be found here.
Photo in the picture frame in the graphic above by Levi Meir Clancy on Unsplash.
The Chicano Collection includes material on Mexican-American history and culture, developing from the former Chicano Services Section.
The Southwest and Border Studies Collection grew out of the nucleus of books amassed by John H. McNeeley.
The definition used above is from the Library of Congress.
The following finding aids specifically mention topics related to Latin American Border Studies. For a complete list of Finding Aids, visit this page. There is a note in the subjects field that says [Latin-Am. Content] if you want to browse.
If you have questions or need any help with Finding Aids ask an Archivist.
The Vargas family played an important role in the politics of the Ciudad Juárez – El Paso area during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The Acosta Solís-Vargas papers date 1752 – 1927, bulk 1821 – 1912. Types of records include government documents, certificates, property deeds, land sale and government documents, wills, and correspondence.
Alvarado, et al. vs. El Paso Independent School District (EPISD) involved several families who filed a class action lawsuit against the El Paso Independent School District, accusing the district of discrimination against Mexican-American students and employees. The Alvarado v. EPISD legal files, MS221, date 1910 – 1980, bulk 1970 – 1975. Arranged in five series, the legal files document the class-action lawsuit Alvarado vs. El Paso Independent School District (1971 – 1979).
The Anderson family lived in El Paso between 1898 and 1956. The family owned several mines in Mexico during the early twentieth century. The records date 1898 – 1953 and contain maps, titles, testimonies, and receipts. The records relate to the purchase and sale of mines in the state of Chihuahua by the Anderson family.
Founded in the early 1990s, the Border Rights Coalition (now the Border Network for Human Rights) is a human rights organization based in El Paso, Texas. The records date 1982-1999, bulk dates, 1985-1994. Topics covered in the collection include: labor strikes, labor unions, Customs and Border Patrol’s abuse reports, and help to immigrants (specifically about naturalization and citizenship).
Professor of English at the University of Texas at El Paso and prolific author Haldeen Braddy achieved international recognition with his books on Chaucer, Poe, Pancho Villa, and Southwest history and folklore. Before coming to UTEP in 1945, Dr. Braddy taught at the universities of Kansas, New York, New Mexico, Southern California, Tulane, Texas Christian, and Texas Tech. He graduated from East Texas State, received a master’s degree from UT Austin and a doctoral degree from New York University. Dr. Braddy retired from UTEP in 1978. He died in 1980.
The Wayne Brendt print and postcard collection contains materials relating to the Mexican Revolution, the U.S. Army in Veracruz, El Paso during the Mexican Revolution, Fort Bliss, and Vietnam. The records date from 1904 – about 1980s.
Bryan Wells Brown (June 30, 1896 – January 24, 1964) was a businessman and writer. He lived and worked in Mexico much of his adult life, including the period 1923-1929, when he was associated with the American Smelting and Refining Company, and from 1938-1952, when he owned a mining machinery company, Ameco, S.A. The bulk of the papers (1861 – 1964) consist of manuscripts by Bryan Wells Brown. The papers also contain some correspondence, some business records, genealogical research, and photographs.
Located on the Rio Grande (El Paso), 140 feet north of where the west bank of the river enters Mexico, the American Dam is a diversion dam constructed in 1937 – 1938. The Building the American Dam in El Paso photograph album, PH090, contains 289 silver gelatin photographs primarily in corner mounts on twenty loose album pages. About half of the images in the album show the construction of the American Dam and Canal along the Rio Grande. In addition to the American Dam and Canal images, the album contains photographs of Ciudad Juárez, Mexico; Colorado; Arizona; and New Mexico.
The Burges brothers were pioneers, lawyers, and civic leaders in El Paso. The Burges-Perrenot family papers date 1835 – 1837, 1890 – 2013 and consist of personal correspondence and scrapbooks that include genealogical and historical research, speeches and addresses, and research material relating to the family’s many interests including literature, history, law, forestry, conservation, irrigation, politics, and the military. The collection also contains social invitations, programs, pamphlets, and postcards with many scenes of early El Paso and Juarez.
Cleofás Calleros (1896-1973), an important local historian and community leader, was born in Río Florido, Chihuahua, Mexico and immigrated to El Paso, Texas in 1902. In the early 1920s he became a social worker and immigration specialist for the National Catholic Welfare Conference. The collection reflects his diverse interests and talents and his involvement with many civic, religious, and business organizations and institutions from about 1915 through 1973. The papers include correspondence, organizational minutes and reports, case files, photographs, scrapbooks, clippings, and literary manuscripts.
The Chicano vertical files date circa 1960s - 1980s and contain clipppinggs, publications, periodicals, and other materials. These files help document Chicano history and culture, particularly in El Paso, other parts of Texas, and California.
James F. Connor worked in the Publicity and Information Department of the United Home Owners of the El Paso Area and opposed the Chamizal settlement. Consists of materials relating to the El Paso Chamizal land dispute. Materials include newspaper clippings, correspondence, scrapbooks, reports, copies of speeches, photographs, and maps. The papers date 1959 – 1970.
The Cooper family papers, MS673, document the career and family of C.H. Cooper as well as lumber mills in Chihuahua and Durango and the Mexican Revolution. The papers date circa 1900s – 2001, bulk dates, circa 1900s – 1950s.
The Custom Assay Office, also known as Critchett and Ferguson, began in El Paso around 1902 and continued until 1950. Otis A. Critchett (1876? – 1950?) and George W. Ferguson (1872 – 1940) worked as assayers, metallurgists, and chemists for individuals and several mining companies in Texas, New Mexico, and Mexico. The Critchett and Ferguson Assayers records date 1902 – 1918, bulk 1911 – 1918. Types of records include correspondence, hardcover bound copy books, bills and invoices, and other printed material.
Jonathan R. Cunningham served as Director of Planning for the City of El Paso from 1958-1978. The collection dated 1958 – 1978. It consists of correspondence, copies of speeches, and reports concerning areas such as city planning and zoning, the Chamizal, relocation of the Rio Grande, the El Paso International Airport, urban land use, community development, United States/Mexico border improvement and development, the environment, the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Park, Pueblo de la Ysleta del Sur, historic preservation, local history, population and housing trends, transportation and traffic projections, and international relations.
Born in Boquilla de Conchos, Chihuahua, Mexico, Abelardo “Lalo” Barrientos Delgado (November 27, 1931 – July 23, 2004) was a teacher, social worker, community organizer, and writer. The Abelardo Delgado Collection dates 1967 – 2010, bulk 1970s. Types of records include publications, correspondence, writings, clippings, photographs, articles, programs, and other printed material.
The correspondence, photographs, clippings, and ephemera in the collection reflect the activities of Richard M. Dudley (a former mayor of El Paso) and Frances M. Dudley, particularly their time in Chihuahua, Mexico, and El Paso, Texas. The papers date 1898 – 1970. Political clippings relate to several controversies between competing factions in El Paso, including the Ku Klux Klan. Photographs show scenes in Chihuahua, El Paso, North Africa, Port Lavaca, Texas, and unidentified locales. Publications include some Chihuahua newspapers from May of 1911.
The El Paso mass shooting collection, MS678, includes newspapers, clippings, magazines, and pamphlets. The collection also contains a sign from a political rally. The collection helps document the August 3, 2019 terrorist attack in El Paso, which killed 23 people and injured dozens.
The El Paso photo file, PH001, dates 1876 – 1980. An artificial collection, the El Paso photo file contains images of El Paso, Ysleta, Ciudad Juárez, New Mexico, and Texas. Types of records include photographs, negatives, slides, and postcards.
The Escajedas, an early El Paso pioneer family, originally came to the El Paso area from Spain. In 1818 the family received a land grant from King Ferdinand VII of Spain, which was later approved by the Mexican government in 1822, and settled in San Elizario and Ysleta. The Escajeda family papers date 1818 – 2005, bulk 1880 – 1932. Types of records include correspondence, photographs, county records, deeds, legal documents, clippings, a family bible, and other printed material.
Arturo Islas Jr. was a Chicano professor and writer. The Arturo Islas collection spans the years 1954-2000. Types of records found within the collection are books, newspaper clippings, photocopies of clippings, literary journals, a yearbook, programs, flyers, magazines, reviews, interviews and photos. The collection includes items written by and about Islas. The materials cover various issues relating to the border including bilingualism, biculturalism, family, affirmative action, and the literary merit of Chicano literature.
Dr. John H. McNeely founded the Institute of Oral History (IOH) at UTEP in 1972. The Institute of Oral History records date 1887 - 1988, bulk 1970 - 1981. Types of records include correspondence, project and subject files, transcripts, memoirs, and newspaper clippings. Most of the older records are photocopies. Many of the records relate to the El Paso – Ciudad Juárez border region from 1970 to 1981.
Established in 1889, the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) has responsibility for applying the boundary and water treaties between the United States and Mexico and settling differences that may arise in their application. Contains official documents and informational materials dating from about 1850 to 1997. Types of records include border agreements, treaties, presidential documents that deal specifically with jurisdiction agreements, boundary laws, Commission laws, history of key developments, the IWBC and the Chamizal, IWBC holdings, and reports from the commissions of the United States and Mexico.
MEChA is a student organization at UTEP that “serves to bring cultural awareness to university students and to provide a space where Chicanos can come together to discover their history.” The MEChA records date 1967 – 2000, bulk 1971 – 1981. Types of records include minutes, constitution and by-laws, reports, correspondence, newsletters, and other publications. These records reflect the history and activities of MEChA and La Mesa Directiva at UTEP.
Eugene Francis Michael (August 15, 1930 – May 13, 2013) was an El Paso restaurant owner. The collection dates 1944 – ongoing. Many of the menus are undated. The menus are all from restaurants in the El Paso-Las Cruces-Ciudad Juárez borderlands.
Herbert C. Morrow, Jr. (1933 - 2003) worked as Curator of Exhibits at UTEP’s Centennial Museum, as Director of Historic Preservation at the West Texas Council of Governments, and as archaeologist at Ft. Bliss. The bulk of the papers consist of the creator’s subject files about the history and archaeology of the U.S.-Mexico border region. They also contain research notes and reports on his work. The papers reflect a continuing interest in the horticulture of the area, particularly viticulture.
The National Catholic Welfare Conference case files date 1904 – 1958. The collection contains case files of clients who received assistance from the Border Office of the National Catholic Welfare Conference. Types of records found in these files include forms, correspondence, notes, border crossing cards, and other legal documents. The case files are primarily arranged in alphabetical order by the name of the client. The alphabetical sequence begins with G and goes through Z.
Ana Osante was the administrative assistant in the UTEP Chicano Studies program for many years. This collection dates from the 1980s and contains materials about UTEP, MECHA, LULAC, Ladies’ LULAC, and MALCS (Mujeres Activas en Letras y Cambio Social). Types of records include correspondence, memorandum, clippings, notes, publications, and a Mexican American Education Directory.
This collection of photographs was donated in 1976 by Leigh W. Osborn, sister of El Paso author Owen P. White. The images in this collection consist primarily of postcards about the Mexican Revolution (1910 to c.1920). The majority of the images are of Madero’s camps or military officials and soldiers.
The ultimate goal of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and its sister institution, the United States-Mexico Border Health Association (USMBHA), was to better health education, health, and the environment in the border region. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) U.S.-Mexico Border Field Office records date from 1942 to 2014. The records consist of publications, constitution and by-laws, minutes, slides and other media, and posters. Records are in Spanish and English.
Founded in 1921 by Eugenia Schuster (1865-1946), the Pan American Round Table of El Paso is a nonprofit women’s organization which promotes “mutual knowledge, understanding, and friendship among the peoples of the western hemisphere”. The records date 1921 – 2007, bulk 1950 – 2000. Types of records include minutes, agendas, correspondence, reports, financial records, clippings, photographs, negatives, slides, cassette tapes, scrapbooks, proclamations, postcards and other souvenirs, invitations, programs, notes, publications, pamphlets and brochures, and other printed material.
Joe K. Parrish was an El Paso-based writer of Southwestern history. The Joe K. Parrish papers date 1868 – 1969, bulk 1950 – 1966. The papers consist primarily of subject files Parrish drew on for his writings. Topics include the history of El Paso, Apache, Tigua, and Yaqui Indians, the Chamizal, the Mexican Revolution, and ancient history.
Dr. Julius Rivera (1917 – 2014) was a Professor Emeritus of Sociology and Anthropology at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). Consists of the personal papers of Dr. Julius Rivera relating to his career as a professor of sociology at UTEP. Materials include Chicano and border studies subject files, periodicals, and oversized complete newspapers.
Urbici Soler was a well-known sculptor and professor at the College of Mines and Metallurgy. He was commissioned in 1937 by Reverend A.J. Schuler to make “Christ the King” on Mount Cristo Rey, which is now a well-known El Paso landmark. The Urbici Soler collection dates 1933 – 2000. Types of records include photographs, clippings, articles, manuscripts, and other printed materials. These materials help document Soler’s life and his career as an artist.
The Southern Pacific Railroad Company arrived in El Paso laying rails from the west in May 1881 in its attempt to complete the second transcontinental railroad route. The records date 1881 – 1974 and contain correspondence, ledgers, contracts, legal files, court cases, financial records, maintenance records, maps, plans, and incidental photographs. Topics covered in the records include railroad construction, water resources, Bonito Dam, railroad operation and maintenance, Mexican bracero workers, and railroad-related lawsuits. The collection also includes source material on the coal, copper, cattle, and timber industries in the Southwest.
Engineering contractors Stone and Webster, Inc. of Boston, Massachusetts, working in conjunction with the El Paso Electric Railway Company, replaced the old International Bridge on Stanton Street between Ciudad Juárez, Mexico and El Paso, Texas with a new structure of reinforced concrete in 1924. Materials in the collection consist of typed and handwritten correspondence, field notes, technical engineering drawings, reports, memos, specifications, telegrams, accounting ledger book sheets, and cost estimates.
The Thomas family papers consist of the Paul D. Thomas legal files and the Paul F. Thomas farming records. The legal files contain two cases related to the Hipolito Villa jewelry claims of 1915-1917, and land claims to a ranch in Chihuahua, Mexico by the Babicora Development Company of California in 1956. The farming records contain financial records and worker and production records for Paul F. Thomas’ agricultural pursuits in Fabens, Texas from 1948-1958. These records include some records of braceros (Mexican farm workers).
Wilbert Helde Timmons taught history at the University of Texas at El Paso for many years. His most popular and well-known work is El Paso: A Borderlands History. The Wilbert H. Timmons papers (1584-1992, bulk 1949 – 1990) are composed primarily of the research papers used by Dr. Timmons during his decades of study of the El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua area. These documents include photocopies and photostats of published material, maps, transparencies, transcriptions of letters, official documents, oral histories, newspaper clippings, student papers, theses, computer disks, and photographs. The collection is organized into six series.
The El Paso Public Library’s Border Heritage Center was formed in 1995 by combining three major collections – Southwest, Genealogy, and Raza – into one area of the Main Library. The purpose of the Center is to enhance the quality of life of El Pasoans and others by collecting, preserving, and making available information about the history and culture of the residents of El Paso and the surrounding Southwest region.
The El Paso County Historical Society strives to foster research into the history of the El Paso area; share that history with the public; publish and encourage historical writing pertaining to the area; and develop public consciousness of our rich heritage.
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