"Great White Way" Postcard

The need for electricity in El Paso started around 1900, when El Paso grew from a small adobe village to a thriving city. The construction of the railroad marked the change in 1881; before, all the businesses had been on the other side of the river in Ciudad Juarez. Electricity on a large scale was first used in transportation: The mule-drawn streetcar system was ended in 1900 and instead, electric cars were being used. Since then, electric streetcars did not only operate between El Paso and Juarez but routes were built in all directions; to Fort Bliss, Government Hill and to the Mesa Street route. In 1886, the first small direct generating plant had been established, providing current for a few street lights and stores. By 1890, the El Paso pioneer Zach T. White, had assumed command of the electrical energy business and had new generating equipment installed at Third and Chihuahua Streets. The use of incandescent lamps began in El Paso stores and homes. Since then, electric systems grew and a larger generating plant was built (since 1910s). It supplied power not only to El Paso, but also to Juarez. El Paso Electric Railway Company was the largest electric company at that time. The colored postcard shows one street in downtown El Paso, probably in the 1910s, fully equipped with electric street lights and wires for the streetcars.

Area: Central / Downtown

Collection: Stansel Postcard Collection

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

Reference ID: PH049-1-1-013

Uploaded by: El Paso Museum of History