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Category: History

“EL PASO, WHERE SUNSHINE SPENDS THE WINTER”

2025-10-23 Bob Chessey Culture, El Paso, History, Music, Slider Leave a comment

by Bob Chessey One hundred years ago, before El Paso simply advertised and referred to itself as the “Sun City,”

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The History and Geography of Cartels in Juarez

2025-08-08 Rich Wright Crime, History, Juarez, Slider Leave a comment

Here’s an insightful portrait of the criminal organizations in Ciudad Juarez, their histories, and their geographic domains, from InsightCrime.org1: If

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The “Notorious NARCOTIC Smuggler” La Nacha: The El Paso Years

2025-07-31 Bob Chessey History, Juarez, Slider One comment

So, “Who was ‘La Nacha’?” For 50 years “La Nacha” remained a name synonymous with Juarez and opiate trafficking, a

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Dr. M. C. Melanson’s One-Track Mind

2025-06-06 Bob Chessey El Paso, History, Slider Leave a comment

by Bob Chessey Narcotic traffickers aim to profit by delivering contraband across geopolitical lines; however, there are physicians who trespass

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“Prohibition Era Bars in Juarez”

2025-04-24 elrichiboy History, Juarez, Slider Leave a comment

Local historian and frequent contributor to El Chuqueño Bob Chessey gives a talk about the proliferation of bars and bar

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“Four Dead in 5 Seconds”

2025-04-19 elrichiboy History, Saturday Documentary Leave a comment
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Harry Mitchell, the Mint Café, and The Narcotic Trafficking Question, Part 3

2025-03-10 Bob Chessey History, Juarez, Slider, Uncategorized Leave a comment

By Bob Chessey This is Part 3 of a three part series. You can read Part 1 here, and Part

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Harry Mitchell, the Mint Café, and The Narcotic Trafficking Question, Part 2

2025-03-07 Bob Chessey History, Juarez, Slider Leave a comment

By Bob Chessey This is Part 2 of a three part series. You can read Part 1 here. The Valera

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Harry Mitchell, the Mint Café, and The Narcotic Trafficking Question, Part 1

2025-03-06 Bob Chessey History, Juarez, Slider Leave a comment

This is Part 1 of a three part series. “Harry Mitchell, owner of the Mint café, Juarez, and Rogelio Sanchez,

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The Last Corrida

2025-01-03 James Sawtelle History, Juarez One comment

By James Sawtelle That Sunday afternoon I had time to cut loose and go with Richard Grenier (my high school

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The Storms and Spirits of Mexican September

2024-09-30 Kent Paterson History, Juarez, Mexico, Slider 2 comments

By Kent Paterson In Mexico, September boasts many historic dates with reverberations that continue shaping the nation today. Besides the

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PART 3 BIG KID’S PALACE- “The Joy Spot of C. Juarez, Mexico.”

2024-07-08 Bob Chessey History, Juarez, Slider Leave a comment

In early March 1924 an announcement by the US government rattled and jarred the profit margins of the tourist centered

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“El Querreque”

2024-06-14 elrichiboy History, Music Leave a comment

Here’s a link to a audio interview that frequent El Chuqueño contributor Kent Paterson recorded for KUNM. Vicente Bautista is

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The Big Kid in Juarez, Part 2

2024-06-13 Bob Chessey History, Juarez, Slider Leave a comment

You can read Part 1 here. by Bob Chessey Part Two: DODGING PROHIBITION In mid-January of 1900 23-year-old Harry Shipley

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Honoring the Mexican Workers Who Saved the United States

2024-05-29 Kent Paterson History, Slider 2 comments

By Kent Paterson For the first time in 60 years, Sebastián Corral touched the earth of Rio Vista Farm in

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HARRY NELSON SHIPLEY: THE “BIG KID” OF THE JUAREZ PLAYGROUND, Part 1

2024-05-17 Bob Chessey History, Juarez, Slider One comment

by Bob Chessey During the 1920’s Juarez was a bustling adult recreational destination flaunting legal alcohol, saloons, cabarets, legal prostitution,

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Debbie Nathan on the PDNG and Plan El Paso

2023-06-21 Rich Wright Brand El Paso, Downtown, History, Slider 3 comments

Lest We Forget Here’s a piece local hero Debbie Nathan wrote for Texas Monthly back in 2013. These days El

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“SALTY” NELL

2023-05-16 Bob Chessey History, Slider 5 comments

by Bob Chessey El Paso’s First Career Customs Inspectress When crossing an international bridge from Juarez to enter El Paso,

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The 1930 Running of the Cerveza

2022-12-22 Bob Chessey History, Juarez, Slider 3 comments

by Bob Chessey A Tale of Pacing and Endurance Summer’s end in 1930 was proving to be a tough time

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The Half House

2022-11-15 elrichiboy History Leave a comment

Trish Long talks about the Shanghai Grocery in this piece in the El Paso Times: The Shanghai Grocery was located

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