Some El Paso neighbors have odd names and, being a history buff, I wondered ho wthey got them. Every name has a story – some weird, some funny, some simple.
El Paso has many nick names with cool origins but its original name, (El Paseo Del Norte), stemmed from the fact that its located at the only pass over the mountains that is accessible just about all year. Now you know. (See, reading my stuff is helpful.)
El Paso has a pretty straight forward story as to how it was named but, in between El Paseo Del Norte and El Paso. we were briefly named Franklin. Not after the former POTUS, after the guy who first settled here. See? You just learned, again.
How El Paso Neighbors Got Their Names
Carlsbad
Originally named Eddy after John and Charles Eddy who, (I assume), first settled there, the name was changed to Carlsbad after the mineral content n the area was similar to that of mineral content of a spring northwest of the town rivaled that of the Carlsbad Springs in Bohemia. (Sure, why not?)
Anthony, Texas – New Mexico
Anthony sits in both Texas and New Mexico. Since it has 2 states, it’s only fair that it get 2 stories. The first says Anthony came from a formation on the Franklin mountains known back in the day to locals as “Anthony’s Nose”. Who the hell Anthony was, nobody seems to know.
The 2nd story has to do with the railroad. When it came to town, the stop was placed on the Texas side of the line and named La Tuna after a cactus that grows wildly in the area. A local lady had a small chapel dedicated to Saint Anthony and she insisted the town be named Anthony. She seems to have won but they didn’t give up La Tuna completely, it’s now the name of a federal prison in Anthony.
Cloudcroft – Ruidoso
These are easy – At an altitude of about 8,640 feet, Cloudcroft was/is often “cloudy”. The river in Ruidoso must have been pretty loud back in the day because Ruidoso literally means “noisy river”. A winery in Ruidoso modified that for their name, Noisy Water Winery. After enough wine, I’m sure their customers probably get pretty noisy.
Alamogordo – Orogrande – Silver City
Alamogordo means “fat cottonwood” in honor of the trees that grow in the area and Orogrande, (“big gold”), was named in honor of all the nearby gold mines around back then. Ditto for Silver City and lots of silver, (duh), mines in the area.
Famous Names & Las Cruces
Lordsburg, Roswell, Hatch, Lordsburg and Deming were all named after people…