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By Al Braden   When I was growing up in El Paso, three things characterized the city: Mount Franklin, football mania and the skyline at night.
The city’s topography and relative lack of vegetation make the night lights extraordinary. And at Christmas, El Pasoans go all out. Every neighborhood decorates; everyone celebrates the season. There’s the exuberance of the Eastridge neighborhood, the brilliant luminarias surrounding Pennsylvania Circle, the city’s own Christmas tree at San Jacinto Plaza, the decorated homes of Rim Road, and—of course—the huge star on Mount Franklin.
El Paso Electric Company employees erected the city’s famous “Star on the Mountain” on the face of Mount Franklin in 1940. The original star, which stood 50 feet wide, was destroyed by storms in its first season, but rebuilt in 1946 to its present 459-by-278-foot size.
My sister, Elaine, and I remember sitting in the back of Dad’s pickup parked on Cotton Street in the 1950s, bundled up and excited about watching the annual star-lighting. This event always kicked off our family’s celebration of the season. Although the star was originally lit only for the Christmas holidays, in 1993, it became a year-round symbol of the city. For Elaine and many of the locals, it will always be the “Christmas Star.”
See the full article in the December 2008 issue. Subscribe Order back issues |
