For decades, the view looking toward the border on the west side was dominated by the Asarco smelting plant and its two gigantic smokestacks. That changed in 2013.
Asarco operated a smelting plant in west El Paso for over 100 years, from 1887 – 1999. In 1917, a 300 foot tower was built for smoke from the smelting process to vent and in 1966, another smokestack was built. Standing over 800 feet tall, it was once the 3rd tallest smokestack in the USA…