Maj. Gen. Anson Mills
Teniente General Anson Mills

Maj. Gen. Anson Mills

Anson Mills, surveyor, builder, army officer, engineer, American boundary commissioner, diplomat, and inventor, was born at Thorntown, Indiana, on August 31, 1834, the son of James P. and Sarah (Kenworthy) Mills. He attended school in Indiana and New York and accepted an appointment to the United States Military Academy in 1855. After flunking out at West Point in 1857, he rode the Butterfield Overland Mail stage to El Paso, where he arrived on May 8, 1858. He was appointed district surveyor and surveyed Forts Quitman, Davis, Stockton, and Bliss, all in West Texas. He also built the Overland Building, for three decades the largest structure in El Paso. On February 28, 1859, Mills submitted a street map of a settlement called Ponce's Rancho, Franklin, and Smithsville. He called the little community El Paso, and the name stuck. The downtown is still practically as he platted it. Mills is best remembered, however, for the boundary dispute with Mexico over the Chamizal tract and for the Mills Building in El Paso. As the American boundary commissioner he refused to accept the 1911 arbitration agreement that gave the El Paso Chamizal to Mexico. The Mills Building began as the Grand Central Hotel, which Mills constructed in 1883. When the hotel burned, he replaced it with the Mills Building in 1911, at that time the largest concrete monolith in the world. Today it is no longer the highest building in El Paso, but it remains a major El Paso landmark. Source: http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fmi36 Image Description: Black and white photograph of General Anson Mills is shown. He stands to pose for the photo with his body and face slightly at an angel facing away. The image is taken from Mills thighs, up to his head where he wears a decorated military suit. The suit has six sets of buttons coming down his chest and several badges and pins to the left of his chest. Mills also wears shoulder pads and a belt as to complete his military look. His hair can be seen white from his long beard that hangs only from his chin and his multi shaded mustache. His hair is parted at the side and of white color.

Area: Central / Downtown

Source: El Paso County Historical Society

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

2020 Gay Pride El Paso Social-Distance Parade

Participants of 2020 Gay Pride El Paso Social-Distance Parade on ...

2020 Gay Pride El Paso Social-Distance Parade

Participants of 2020 Gay Pride El Paso Social-Distance Parade on ...

2020 Gay Pride El Paso Social-Distance Parade

Participants of 2020 Gay Pride El Paso Social-Distance Parade on ...

John T. Rice

John Temple Rice, born in Danville, Virginia, on December 9, ...

Rabbi Martin Zielonka

Martin Zielonka was born on February 15, 1877, in Germany. He ...

Mural in Progress by Ms. Yellow at Chalk the Block 2019

Visiting mural artist Ms. Yellow works on her mural with spray ...

Chalk the Block 2019 Best of Show Winner Andrea Torres

Local artist Andrea Torres works on her 10' X 5' chalk art ...

Aerial view of Chalk Artist at Work, Chalk the Block 2019

Aerial view of Chalk Artist at Work, Chalk the Block 2019

Ramiro Ordonez works on his Chalk Art Entry

Local Artist Ramiro Ordonez works on his Chalk Art Entry for ...

Etchings by Steve Edwards Virtual Exhibit

Also known as ‘Estéban’, Steve Edwards, artist, ...

El Paso Lodge No 130, 70 year award.

Masons of El Paso Lodge No. 130 presented the 70 year award to ...

The Seed by Los Dos

The Seed by Los Dos

Annette Rios, the Appleseed Project

Annette Rios, the Appleseed Project

Jennifer Lucero, The Appleseed Project

Jennifer Lucero, The Appleseed Project

Carla Riojas, The Appleseed Project

Carla Riojas, The Appleseed Project

Chuco Soul by Jesus "Cimi" Alvarado

Chuco Soul by Jesus "Cimi" Alvarado

Kiko Rodriguez and Amalia Castro

Kiko Rodriguez and Amalia Castro

Christian Cardenas

Christian Cardenas

Los Dos Installing Sister Cities

Los Dos Installing Sister Cities

Ray Cardenas

Ray Cardenas

Downtown Dave

Downtown Dave There are streets and there is art. Dave is the ...

El Compa

Chanclas are forever wey!

Mc loving it.

Hood Concierge Services

home.search_collection