adobe homes are distinctly foreign. The old valley, old towns and old irrigation lie around here; the Rio Grande is close. The Old Spanish Trail here is the “Valley Road" of El Paso; its old shade trees, irrigating canals, truck gardens and country homes are a refreshing picture.
*EL PASO. El Paso del Norte, the Pass of the North, Gateway to Mexico and the Southwest, keypoint to an empire. Manufcturing and distributing center. In heart of rich irrigated, farming, cattle and mining districts. Ft. Bliss, one of the most important military and air bases in the United States, is located,at El Paso.
The pass thru the mountains extends from the city some three miles north to the big smelter. The Old Spanish Trail from El Paso follows the Rio Grande northward to Las Cruces, 42 mi.
The approach to El Paso for 60 mi. from the east is thru an Irrigated section, some of it established in Spanish times, where cotton, alfalfa, winter vegetables, dairing and fruits are produced. Canals carry the water from Elephant Butte reservoir of the U.S. Reclamation Service located up the Rio Grande in Now Mexico 110 mi. north of El Paso—largest artificial lake in North America. This reservoir covers 40,000 A. and impounds water to irrigate
200,000	A. in the Palomas, Rincon, upper and lower Mesilla. El Paso and Juarez valleys. Elephant Butte dam is 306 ft. high. 1,674 long. Lake is 45 mi. long with 206 mi. of shore line. (See adv.)
HOTELS—PASO DEL NORTE, refined, well-liked,El Paso largest hotel; auto cluli headquarters in lobby. SHELDON. moderate, well located, cafeteria, tourist bureau. I-IUSSMANN, new, fine hotel.
CAMP GRANDE is one of the best auto camps in the U. S., all kinds of accommodations, attentions and comforts.
CIUDAD JUAREZ across the Rio Grande, pop. 15.000, is the largest Mexican city on the border in population, exports and imports. Characteristically Mexican, it is visited and enjoyed by more travelers than aziy border city. The Chamber of Commerce or your hotel will give tourist passport or information.
INF.—El Paso Automobile Club (AAA) at Paso del Norte Hotel. Also Camp Grande. Time changes here; reset your watch.
TEXAS-NEW MEXICO STATE LINE
Anthony, N, M.
NEW MEXICO—192 MILES
Road Conditions Pavement El Paso to Las Cruces, then Federal Aid ttravel across the State. Old trail west from Mesilla Park now replaced with new road till'll Las Cruces to Deming. Maintenance across zsew Mexico Is good.
Description of Country
it	tI,e	R,°	Grande Valley to Las Cruces are irrigated
districts of the Elephant Hutto reservoir; Las Cruces is a cont.e,r for these sections and a nice little city. tiii. i ... 8crtI.on westward from La Cruces Is sandy desert . n . ,ni?s k.v mountain peaks. Sonic irrigation, not much. T	raising.	Silver	and	copper	are	mined. Dcming and
xvnV.rSr Sr VI?y,	eities.	Travel	conveniences	are	along
the unj. The drinking water Is soft and good.
Old History
nf	4	of	ancient	dnys	and	the overland trail
of Jnlint0 »J«nd £tne<: ,conch <Inys crossed about as the lUghway Vailov	sP?n,®2» works were confined to the Rio Grande
ofrart'xvn! n, C to. S*nta Fo- Tl,clr next Important seat of Nogales to Tucson/'1 • CrU* Vnlley in northern Mexico and thru
ANTHONY. The business section in Texas; the P. O. and many residences in New Mexico. This is a section of the Cainino Real (King’s Highway) from Mexico City to Santa Fe and one of the oldest roads in the U.S. groups of the crude adobe and peasant houses of the Mexican laborers arc seen along the way. Everything is characteristic of simple outdoor life. Numerous garages and service stations along the way.
MESILLA PARK. Supported by the A. & M. College. Two country hotels. Free camp space.
*LAS CRUCES. The highway turns westward thru Las Cruces by new gravel road to Cambray to Deming. Las Cruces means ‘’The Crosses;” it is the commercial center of the Elephant Butte irrigation in New Mexico. Three miles west is Old Mesilla; La Mesilla of the San Antonio— San Diego stage coach days and of the overland trail of the California gold rush and subsequent settlement of California; it was the capital of the Southwest Territory when that was a vast empire of legend and mystery and the county seat of Dona Ana County when that county was a thousand miles wide. The Spanish conquistadores and the frocked padres traveled up this Rio Grande Valley to Santa Fe and that interesting New Mexico country, made their settlements and planted their missions before Plymouth and the Atlantic coast settlements were thought of.
CAMPBELL HOTEL is good; leads. Also AMADOR and DON BERNARDO, Frequently fill early. Cottage camp $1.00 and $3.00, very complete. Free camp space. Inf.—Chamber of Commerce.
RIO GRANDE RIVER, crossed westward.
THE DESERT NOT DESERTED
In far West Texas and across Now Mexico and parts of Arizona and Culiiornin are arid areas crossed by tlio Old Spanish Trail often referred to as deserts. They are not deserted. Cities of refinement reach hands across these lands for many lo\e the mystery and life and sunshine of the Southwest while (lie soils need only the magic touch of wntcr to spring into life ns fruitful ns the oases of Biskra or the garden spots of Arabia. Mountains rear their crests with friendly greeting and nature plays her undefinnblo colors on their rugged sides. Tlio sands are redeemed by the graceful mesquite, the tangled visnagn, the bayonet shaped yucca and its bouquet of white bloom in spring, the cacti of a hundred mystic types and llielr delicate flowering, t lie iron wood blossoms, the flaming flower of tlio ocatillns that grow mysteriously and proudly among tlio rocks. Strangeness, mystery and vastness; it is tlio dwelling place of the Great Spirit!
Irrigation is spreading its broad mantle, joining with, sunshine and fertility, and tlio sands leap to life and send products of incredible variety to the tables of the frozen north. Ft. Stock-ton and Bainiorhea, Texas, arc gardens in the desert watered by great springs. The Rio Grande Valley thru Ft. Hancock, Fallens, Vslcta, Juarez, FI Paso, Mesilla and Las Cruces is redeemed and enriched by tlio big Elephant Butte reservoir In Now Mexico, 110 mi. north of El Paso, Southern New Mexico is still unredeemed but underground reservoirs reached by shallow wells underlie great areas. On westward Mormons are irrigating along the San Pedro River. Irrigation Is around Tucson. Westward at Florence the great Coolldge Dam is building to transform more areas of liot sands into semi-tropical gardens of wealth. The Salt River Valley around Phoenix and its green fields and colorful life breaks on the desert traveler like a benediction; the Roosevelt reservoir that mothers It oil seems a distant sacrament. _Ovcr In California tlio sandy bed of the old Snlton Sea is now the Imperial Valley growing green gold. The desert Is not deserted. A great highway gives comfortable travel thru it and travel service Is plentiful along the way. Soft, fine drinking water prevails In this sandy country with but a few places not so fortunate.
*DEMfNG. An interesting city in the midst of an apparent desert but those plains are underlaid with abundant water for irrigation and the sands are fertile. Mines, forests and cattle ranches are around. Three railroads. Pure, soft drinking water is characteristic of this country— and of most of the Old Spanish Trail territory. •
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