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FABENS,
TEXASEl
Paso County, West
Texas
Along the Rio Grande
Highway 20 - one mile SW of I-10
25
Miles SE of Downtown El Paso
Population:
8,043 (2000) |
 |
History in
a Pecan Shell
The region was occupied in the 17th century when a mission stood just SE
of present-day Fabens. A stagecoach stop existed just NE of the town in the 1870s
but it wasn’t until 1900 when a man named Eugenio Pérez opened a store here.
With
the arrival of the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railroad, Fabens’ status
increased and Pérez’ store was granted a post office in 1906. The name came from
a railroad official named George Fabens.
By 1914 the population was estimated
to be 100 but the Mexican Revolution swamped the town ten fold with refugees fleeing
the conflict on the other side of the river.
Fabens was platted in 1911
and in 1916 the opening of the Franklin Canal lured investors wanted to buy irrigated
cotton fields. From a population of just 50
in the mid 1920s (the Mexican refugees had returned to Mexico by this time) it
rose to around 2,000 by the end of that decade.
The Great Depression reduced
the population, but not as severely as most Texas
towns. There was an estimated 1,600 residents in the early 1930s, growing
to 1,800 by the end of the decade.
Each ensuing decade added population
and by the 1990 census there were nearly 5,600 people. It rose again by 200 to
over 8,000.
Where
to Stay > Fabens
Hotels |
Soldier on the
BridgeMessage on
back of photo:
"Here is a picture I had taken while guarding the International
Bridge at Fabens, Texas. We only carried one Bandiller of ahells in the day time
and two at night, besides our cartridge belt. You can see the Mexican town at
my back across the Rio Grande River. This bridge made me think of the Gilpen Bridge
but I have never got home sick yet." |
Fabens
as Film Location "In
April 1972, Fabens served as a location for the filming of the Sam Peckinpah film
“The Getaway”. The crime drama, starring Steve McQueen and Ali MacGraw was replete
with explosions, car chases and intense shootouts. The film would become Peckinpah's
and McQueen's biggest financial success to date, earning more than $25 million
at the box office.
Fabens is located along Interstate Highway 10. Most
visitors only stop for short periods of time to eat at one of the several restaurants
or stay overnight in the hotel.
The name Fabens comes from an attorney
named George Wilson Fabens who worked for the railroad. As the railroad was being
built, new towns were named after railroad employees. Mr. Fabens was born on October
29, 1857 and died in 1939. " - William
Beauchamp | |
Where
to Stay > Fabens
Hotels
Area
Destination >
El Paso
Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories, and vintage/historic
photos of their town, please contact
us. | |
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