Miss Elizabeth Garrett
Elizabeth Garrett

Miss Elizabeth Garrett

Elizabeth Garrett (1884-1947) was a nationally acclaimed soprano and composer. She wrote the songs "El Paso" and "O, Fair New Mexico", state song of New Mexico. Garrett had been rendered blind almost from birth by an excessive application of blue vitrol (a copper sulfate chemical) to her eyes. Blue vitrol was used to prevent infection, a common practice in those days. Elizabeth received a high school education and basic training at the Texas School for the Blind in Austin and became a qualified voice and piano teacher. She soon found herself performing in respected theaters in Chicago and New York. She was called the "Songbird of the Southwest", because of her compositions about the far-west land of New Mexico. The New Mexico Legislature was so impressed by her song "O, Fair New Mexico", that they made it the state song in 1917. Her father was Pat Garrett, sheriff of Lincoln County, NM. During that time, he captured and killed Billy the Kid. He served as sheriff in New Mexico before Garrett was appointed El Paso Collector of Customs in 1901. The family stayed in El Paso for 5 years, before they returned to Dona Ana County.

Area: Central / Downtown

Collection: Stout-Feldman Studio Photographs

Source: University of Texas at El Paso Library - Special Collections Department

Reference ID: PH074-1610-2

Uploaded by: El Paso Museum of History

Comments

Add a comment
Thank you for your comment

Report this entry

Choose the most important reason for this report

Your name

Your email address

Optional detail

Thank you for your report

More from the same community-collection

Foreign exchange students visit EPMH

Bernie Sargent giving a tour at the El Paso History Museum to ...

Manger- Post Cerimony of the Lights

Post Ceremony of the Lights

Manger- Post Cerimony of the Lights

Post Ceremony of the Lights

Manger- Post Cerimony of the Lights

Post Ceremony of the Lights

Manger- Post Cerimony of the Lights

Post Ceremony of the Lights

Manger- Post Cerimony of the Lights

Post Ceremony of the Lights

Post Cerimony of the Lights

Post Ceremony of the Lights

Post Cerimony of the Lights

Post Ceremony of the Lights

Post Cerimony of the Lights

Post Ceremony of the Lights

Christmas 2015

Rudolph resting!!

Christmas 2015

Reindeer resting!

Christmas 2015

Santa ready to fly!!

Christmas 2015

Working on nativity.

Christmas 2015

Working hard!!

Celebrations of Lights - 2015

Celebrations of Lights - 2015. Celebrations of Lights under the ...

Celebrations of Lights - 2015

Cleveland Square at the Celebrations of Lights - 2015.

Celebrations of Lights - 2015

Under the pavilion in front of El Paso Museum of History.

Celebrations of Lights - 2015

Celebrations of Lights - 2015. View of Cleveland Square at the ...

Celebrations of Lights - 2015

Celebrations of Lights - 2015. View of Cleveland Square during ...

Celebrations of Lights - 2015

Celebrations of Lights - 2015. View of the Celebrations of ...

Christmas 2015

Hanging Christmas lights!!

Christmas 2015

Christmas lights!!

Christmas 2015

Working on the Christmas tree

home.search_collection