Welcome to the Border Heritage Center Digital Collections!

This collection focuses on the smaller, regional publications of the greater El Paso area acquired by the library over the decades. Many are single issue holdings. Nevertheless, much can be learned about the communities and themes featured in these publications.

The U.S. Army on the Border Collection consists of real photo postcards and photographs of U.S. Army and National Guard troops serving along the U.S.-Mexico border in the early 20th century. All aspects of military life are captured, including servicemen on duty, in camp, in training exercises and out on excursions. Some of the postcards were mailed to family and friends and included notes of personal experiences, providing first-hand accounts of soliders' activities and sentiments.

The McGaw Collection is named after its donor, William C. McGaw, author and historian. The collection is comprised of the compiled works of at least two photographers, Russell Metcalfe and James Alexander. Close to 1,500 photographs of the El Paso/Juarez area, the Mexican Revolution, New Mexico towns, national parks and nature were given to McGaw by the widow of Russell Metcalfe. McGaw in turn, donated the collection to the El Paso Public Library's Southwest Department in 1965. Only a portion of the collection is available at this time, however, additional images will be included in the future.

This collection features early descriptive publications about a city or town. Presently, the collection is comprised of publications about El Paso but we aim to expand the holdings to include other Southwest locations in the future. The publications date from the late 19th century to the mid-20th century. These works informed tourists, prospective businesses and residents about a city's advantages and promising future. A city's history, business sector, economic prospects, agriculture, climate, local government, residential life and neighboring communities were commonly addressed and explored.