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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 Hoad" of Kl Paso: its old shade trees, irrigating canals, truck gardens and country homes are a refreshing picture.
*EL PASO. El l’aso del Norte, the Pass of the North, Gateway to .Mexico and tlie 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 Kl Paso.
The pass thru tlie mountains extends from the city some three miles north to the big smelter. The Old Spanish Trail from Kl Paso follows the Rio Grande northward to Las Cruces, 42 mi.
The approach to Kl Paso for 00 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 New Mexico 110 mi. north of Kl Paso—largest artificial lake in North America. This reservoir covers 40.000 A. and impounds water to irrigate
20O.OOO	A. in the Palomas. Itincon, upper and lower Mesilla. Kl Paso and Juarez valleys. Elephant Butte dam is HOfi ft. high. 1,074 long. Lake is 4~> mi. long with 206 mi. of shor.1 line. (See adv.)
HOTELS—PASO DEL NORTE, refined. well-liked.El Paso largest hotel: auto club headquarters in lobby. SHELDON. moderate, well located, cafeteria, tourist bureau. IIUSSMANN. 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, exi>orts and imports. Characteristically Mexican, it is visited and enjoyed by more travelers than any 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—I!)2 MILES
Road Conditions
Pavement Kl Paso to Las Cruces, then Federal Ai<l gravel across the State. Old trail west from Mesilla Park now replaced with new road	thru Las Cruces	to	Demins:.	Maintenance across
New Mexico is	good.
Description of Country
Ip the Kio Grande Valley to Las Cruces are irrigated districts of the Klephant liutte reservoir; Las Cruces is a commercial center for these sections and a nice little city. Most of the section westward from La Cruces is sandy desert relieved at times by mountain peaks. Some irrigation, not much. Some stock raising. Silver and copper are mined. J>eming and Lordsburg are busy little cities. Travel conveniences are along the way. The drinking water is soft and good.
Old History
The Spanish trail of ancient days and the overland trail of pioneer and	stage coach days	crossed about	as the highway
of today runs.	Spanish works were	confined	to	the Kio Grande
Valley, Kl Paso to Santa Fe. Their next important seat of effort was the Santa Cruz Valley in northern Mexico and thru Nogales to Tucson.
ANTHONY. The business section in Texas; the P. O. and many residences in New Mexico. This is a section of the Camino 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 are 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 Doming. Las Cruces means “The Crossesit is tlie 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 4*	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 liio 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 Stt.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 New Mexico and parts of Arizona and 1 aliiornia are arid areas crossed by the Old Spanish Trail often referred to as deserts. They are not deserted. Cities of refinement reach hands across these lands for many love the mystery and life and sunshine of the Southwest while the soils need only the mafic touch of water to spring into liTe as fruitful as the oases of Biskra or the garden spots of Arabia. Mountains rear their crests with friendly greeting and nature plays her undefinuble colors on their rugged side#. The sands are redeemed by tlie graceful mesquite, the tangled visnugu. the bayonet shaped yucca and its bouquet of whit© bloom In spring, th;» cacti of a hundred mystic types and their delicate (lowering, the ironwood blossoms, the flaming flower of the ocatillas that grow mysteriously and proudly among the rocks. Strangeness, mystery and vastness; it is the dwelling place of the Great Spirit!
Irrigation is spreading its broad mantle, joining with sunshine and fertility, and tlie sands leap to life and send products of incredible variety to the tables of the frozen north. Ft. Stockton and lialmorhea, Texas, are gardens in the desert- watered by great springs. The Kio Grande Valley thru Ft. Hancock, Fabens, Ysleta, Juarez, Kl Faso, Mesilla and Las Cruces is redeemed and enriched by the big Klephant Butte reservoir in New Mexico, 110 ml. north of Kl Faso, Southern New Mexico is still unredeemed but underground reservoirs readied by shallow wells underlie great areas. On westward ^ Mormons **re irrigating along the San Fedro Kiver. Irrigation is around Tucson. Westward at Florence the great Coolidge Dam js building to transform more areas of hot sands into semi-tropical garders of wealth. Tbe Salt Kiver Valley around Phoenix and its green fields and colorful life breaks on tlie desert traveler like a benediction ; the Koosevelt reservoir that mothers it all seems a distant sacrament. _Over in California the sandy bed of the old Salton 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 Js plentiful along the way. Soft, fine drinking water prevails in this sandy country with but a few places not so fortunate.
*DEMIN(i. An interestiiiir city in the midst of an apparent (loscrt lmt those plains are underlaid with abundant water fur irrigation and the sands are fertile. Mines, forests and cattle ranches are around. Three railroads. Pure, soft drinkinj; water is cliaractenistie of this country— and of most of the Old Spanish Trail territory.