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

The Bear - nickname given to Don Haskins

The Bear - a nickname given to Don Haskins because of his ...

First Wall of Giants

El Paso's First Wall of Giants Reception in 2009. Credits: ...

Mary Haskins wife of Don Haskins speaks - EL Paso, Texas

Mary Haskins wife of Don Haskins speaks during El Paso Museum of ...

First Wall of Giants - Official unveiling

Official unveiling of El Paso's "First Wall Of Giants" dedicated ...

Chamber Gala, El Paso, Texas 2014

Joe and Laura Gomez at annual chamber gala with Mr & Mrs Matt ...

Hire El Paso First

Joe Gomez at City Hall with Bruce Collins. Celebrating the ...

Hall of Fame Award - Don Haskins, 1997

Hall of Fame Award - Don Haskins, 1997 Credit: Mary Haskins

Joe Gomez receiving Star on the Mountain Award 2006

Accepting Star on the Mountain Award by City Council . Coach ...

Joe Gomez, Laura Gomez and friends at the Jersey Boys

Friends at the Jersey Boys concert at the Plaza Theater

Joe Gomez Star on the Mountain Award

Star on the Mountain Trophy

Arts Festival Plaza - El Paso, Texas

The Arts Festival Plaza is located in the heart of downtown El ...

Elevtors at Cortez

Where else will you see such beautiful elevator doors in El ...

Trost Beauty Everywhere!!

This is view is from inside the Wells Fargo building. You can ...

Railroad Union Depot, El Paso, TX circa 2015

Have you ever visited the Downtown Union Plaza? The inside is ...

City Hall Before Demolition

My granddaughter was amazed as she stood in front of City Hall ...

El Paso Public Libray

The El Paso Public Library’s history goes back to 1894 when ...

El Paso Public Library

In 1943, the library's collections had again outgrown its ...

El Paso Public library

Main Library located at 501 N Oregon street - side entrance.

El Paso Public Library Entrance

Main (Downtown) Library 501 N Oregon, Entrance sign.

Main (Downtown) Library - El Paso, Texas

Main (Downtown) Library 501 N Oregon entrance. The Downtown ...

El Paso Public Library Downtown Branch

The El Paso Public Library serves the needs the public in El ...

2013 Fan Fiesta

Judson F. Williams Convention Center

Amigo Man 2006

Amigo Man in 2006

home.search_collection