Photograph from the 1920 Peace and Progress Excursion

Photograph from the 1920 Peace and Progress Excursion

Peace and Progress Excursion to Mexico City, photo album 1920 59-341-1 In 1909, the Southern Pacific Railroad of Mexico was integrated into the greater Pacific Railroad in the United States. Railway operations increased travel from Mazatlán, Sinaloa in Southern Mexico to Nogales, Sonora in Northern Mexico, connecting with the Sunset Route in southwest United States directly into Arizona. This allowed railway travel to transcend borders causing a greater influx of people, goods, and commerce between the U.S. and Mexico. Making use of the newly connected railways, Mexican President Álvaro Obregón visited El Paso the first week of October in 1920 on his way to the International Fair in Dallas, Texas. He expressed his aspirations for international friendship and diplomatic relations between the two countries. As a result of Obregon’s visit the “Paz y Progreso” or “Peace and Progress” Excursions were commissioned by the Confederation of Chamber of Commerce. On October 10, 1920, the El Paso Chamber of Commerce set out for Mexico City by train. The trip entailed visiting a number of smaller towns on the way to Mexico City, such as Zacatecas and Aguascalientes. In January of 1921, the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce Peace and Progress Excursion traveled through California to Mexico by train to meet with President Álvaro Obregón. The Southern Pacific Railroad of Mexico was eventually sold to the Mexican government in 1951. The railroad boom of the 19th century ushered in a new and tranformative era for transportation, technology, and economy in America—one that swept the Paso del Norte region along with it. As the railroad industry flourished, El Paso began cultivating a unique economy and culture, one heavily influenced by its location along the border and the route between four major cities (Mexico City, Santa Fe, Los Angeles, and San Antonio). True to its name, El Paso became a gateway for the Southern half of the United States. In Tracks Across the Desert, we explore the people, groups, and railroad giants that shaped El Paso into the city it is today. This exhibit is generously funded by Union Pacific.

Area: Out of Area / Out of Area

Source: El Paso Museum of History

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

Map of the Republic of Texas and the Adjacent Territories

Map of the Republic of Texas and adjacent territories indicating ...

Texas and Part of New Mexico

Area and topography of Texas and part of New Mexico in 1857; ...

New Mexico, Texas; Chihuahua, Mexico 1861-1865

Map of the borders between New Mexico, Texas and Chihuahua, ...

Map No. 1 from Fort Smith to the Rio Grande

Map of the route near the 35th parallel. Part of the ...

Texas, New Mexico, and Indian Territory

Map of Texas counties and New Mexico showing Indian Territories ...

County Map of Texas

This is a county map of Texas represented in black, white and ...

Texas: Containing the Latest Grants and Discoveries

Map of Texas containing the latest grants and discoveries in ...

Map of Spanish-Texas

Map illustrates the location of rivers, cities and Indian ...

Structural Map of Trans-Pecos Texas

Map of the Trans-Pecos, Texas area; Outlines and lines are shown ...

Map of Texas and Adjacent Regions in the Eighteenth Century

Map of Texas and the adjacent regions illustrating missions, ...

Military Map of the Rio Grande Frontier

Military map of the Rio Grande frontier prepared from original ...

Texas the Lone Star State

Picturesque historical map of Texas with information on ...

General Austin's Map of Texas with Parts of the Adjoining States

Colorful map of Texas highlighting the borders between states ...

Map of Texas

This map of Texas includes colored divisions of counties with ...

Dallas: Industrial and Distribution Center of the Southwest

Colorful market and distribution map of the Southwest - Texas, ...

Rio Grande from San Juan River to the Gulf of Mexico

Map illustrates the Rio Grande from the San Juan River to the ...

Literary Map of Texas

Illustrative literary map of Texas shows book titles and author ...

Texas and the Countries Adjacent

Map of Texas (1844) and its adjacent countries includes ...

Map of Fort Hancock, Texas circa 1915

Topographical map indicating the location of Fort Hancock and ...

Reconnaissance Map: Texas Marfa

This topographic USGS map sheet indicates Marfa's surrounding ...

Topography: the University of Texas Mineral Survey

Topographic map of the Van Horn quadrangle in Texas. Indicates ...

Map of Texas and Part of New Mexico

Map of Texas and part of New Mexico compiled chiefly for ...

J. De Cordova's State of Texas

This geographical map of Texas was compiled from the records of ...

home.search_collection