Smeltertown Cemetery

Smeltertown Cemetery

The image shows gravestones at the Smeltertown cemetery. Smeltertown was an industrial area west of downtown El Paso, which came into being with the construction of the Kansas City Consolidated Smelting and Refining Company (later the American Smelting and Refining Company, or ASARCO) copper and lead smelter, in 1887. In the 1880s the Mexican employees of the smelter began building houses west of the smelter, beside the Rio Grande. School, church and post office were added later. The facility was a custom smelter that processed several different metals from ore that came from diverse sites. Although lead and zinc were extracted at the site, copper was the main product in the later years of operation. In 1945 the El Paso Herald-Post called attention to the poverty in Smeltertown and in the early 1970s it became the center of an environmental controversy. ASARCO was charged with violations of the Texas Clean Air Act. It was also found out that 72 out of 500 residents suffered from lead poisoning due to a huge amount of lead emission between 1969 and 1971. Another study confirmed “undue lead absorption” of people living in a one-mile radius in 1975. In the same year an injunction ordered ASARCO to modernize and make environmental improvements, which were not done due to the high costs. Against their wishes the residents were forced to move; their former homes were razed, as well as the business buildings and stacks, leaving only the abandoned school and church buildings to mark the site of El Paso's first major industrial community.

Área: Central / Smeltertown

Fuente: El Paso County Medical Society

Cargado por: El Paso Museum of History

Comentarios

Hacer un comentario
Gracias por su comentario

Reportar esta entrada

Elige la razón más importante para este reporte

Tu nombre

Tu correo electrónico

Detalle opcional

Gracias por su reporte

Más sobre la misma comunidad-colección

Construction of American Canal 1937

Note under image says: 5-3-1937, 3:40pm, El Paso, Texas ...

J.B. White, Project Engineer 1937

Note under image says: 5-3-37, 4:45pm, El Paso, Texas; American ...

Construction of American Dam 1937

Note says: 5-4-37, 2:00pm, El Paso, Texas American Dam; Insley ...

Construction of American Dam 1937

Note in image: 5-4-37, 2:00pm, El Paso Texas American Dam; ...

Construction of American Canal 1937

Note on image: 5-4-37, 3:00pm, El Paso, Texas American Canal; ...

Construction of American Canal 1937

Note in image: 5-5-37, 1:00pm, El Paso, Texas American Canal; ...

American Dam, Steel Reinforcement, 1937

Note in image: 5-6-37, 9:00 am, American Dam; Steel ...

Construction of American Dam, 1937

Note under image: 5-6-37, 1:30 pm, El Paso, Texas. American ...

Construcción de la presa americana 1937 - El Paso, Tejas

Note under image: 5-8-37, 11:30 am, El Paso, Texas. Sanitory ...

American Dam

April 22, 1937 11:40 AM El Paso TX. American Dam Insley ...

American Dam

April 24, 1937 1:00 PM El Paso TX. American Dam looking down ...

American Dam

April 24, 1937 1:00 PM El Paso TX. American Dam east face of ...

American Dam

April 26, 1937 1:20 PM El Paso TX. American Dam, rubbing ...

American Dam

May 1, 1937 12:15 PM El paso TX. American Dam, view from ...

American Dam

May 1, 1937 12:30 PM El paso TX. American Dam, view from West ...

American Dam

May 1.1937 1:25 PM El Paso TX. American Dam, reaming gate ...

American Dam 1937

Note under image: 5-8-37, 12:45 pm, El Paso, Texas American ...

Construction of American Canal, 1937

Note under image: 5-8-37, 2:00 pm, El Paso, Texas American ...

Construction of American Dam 1937

Note in image: 5-10-37, 9:30 am, El Paso, Texas American Dam; ...

Construction of American Dam 1937

Note in image: 5-10-37, 9:30 am, El Paso, Texas American Dam; ...

Electric Welder at American Dam, 1937

Note in image: 5-11-37, 12:15 pm, El Paso, Texas American Dam; ...

American Dam 1937

Note: 5-15-37, 11:50 am, El Paso, Texas American Dam; View from ...

American Dam 1937

Note: 5-15-37, Noon; El Paso, Texas. American Dam; View from ...

home.search_collection