San Elizario Salt War

The San Elizario Salt War, also known as the Salinero Revolt or The El Paso Salt War, was an 1877 conflict between the Mexican inhabitants of San Elizario, Texas, and the Anglo- and African-Americans who sought control of a nearby salt mine.

Background

National ambiguity

The Rio Grande is a natural barrier in West Texas. Spain, and later Mexico, had settled a series of communities along the south banks of the river, which provided protection from Comanche raids from the North. Prior to major water control projects on the Rio Grande such as Elephant Butte Dike, which was constructed in the early 1900s, the river flooded often. San Elizario was a relatively large community south of the river from its founding in 1789 until an 1831 flood changed the course of the river, leaving San Elizario on "La Isla", a new island between the new and old channels of the Rio Grande.

This position relative to the river became more important in 1836 when the Republic of Texas proclaimed the Rio Grande the southern border of the new country. The nationality of the people of San Elizario was disputed until the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the treaty that ended the Mexican-American War, which identified the "deepest channel", i.e. the southern channel, as the official international boundary. The status of San Elizario was further made official by the 1853 treaty that sold the territory of the Gadsden Purchase to the United States. At that time, San Elizario was the largest U.S. community between San Antonio, Texas and Santa Fe, New Mexico. It was a major stop on the Camino Real and was the county seat of the region.

Civil War and Reconstruction

The American Civil War created great changes in the political landscape of West Texas. The end of the war and Reconstruction brought many entrepreneurs to the area. The families of San Elizario had deep roots and were loathe to accept the newcomers. Many Republicans settled in the small trading community of Franklin, Texas, a trading village across the Rio Grande from the Chihuahua city of El Paso del Norte (present-day Ciudad Juárez).

By the beginning of the 1870s the Democratic Party had begun to reclaim political influence in the state. The Democratic operatives, with their ties to Southern United States, were not accepted by the people of San Elizario either, as they retained generational ties to Mexico. Alliances shifted and rivalries developed between the Hispanic, Republican, and Democratic factions residing in West Texas.

The Salt

At the base of the Guadalupe Mountains, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) northeast of San Elizario, lie a series of dry salt lakes. Before the pumping of water and oil from West Texas, the area had a periodic shallow water table, and capillary action drew salt of a high purity to the surface. This salt was valuable for preserving meats. The people of San Elizario had, as a community, built a road to the salt lakes where they gathered salt for many generations. They considered the deposits a commonwealth. In contrast, Texas and U.S. law allowed individuals to stake claims for mineral rights to newly-acquired territories.

alt Ring and Anti-Salt Ring

In 1870, a group of influential Republican leaders from Franklin, Texas claimed the land on which the salt deposits were found. William Wallace Mills, Albert Jennings Fountain, nor Louis Cardis were unsuccessful in gaining sole title to the land, and a feud over ownership and control of the land began. Mills favored individual ownership, Cardis favored the Hispanic community concept of commonwealth, and Fountain favored state ownership with community access. This led to Cardis and Fountain to join together as the "Anti-Salt ring" while Mills became the leader of the "Salt ring."

Fountain was elected to the Texas State Senate and began pushing for his plan. San Elizario's priest, Father Antonio Borrajo, opposed the plan and gained the support of Cardis. On December 7, 1870, Judge Gaylord Judd Clarke, a supporter of Mills, was killed, and Fountain left the area for New Mexico.

Charles Howard

In 1872 Charles Howard came to the region from Missouri determined to restore the Democratic Party to power in Texas. His natural rival was Mills, so he struck up an alliance with Cardis, who controlled the Hispanic vote in the region. Cardis had a stronger allegiance to the former citizens of Mexico than to either U.S. political party. Howard was elected district judge and about the same time began feuding with Cardis. Howard filed a claim for the salt lakes in the name of his father-in-law. The people of San Elizario were encouraged by Father Borrajo, with the support of Cardis, to gather salt in spite of Howard's claim.

alt Riot

In September 1877, two men from San Elizario went to the salt lakes to gather a wagon load of salt. When Howard learned of their activities, he went to the judicial offices in San Elizario and demanded payment. Instead, a mob seized him and threw him into the county jail. After 3 days, he was released upon payment of $12,000 and his relinquishing of all rights to the salt deposits. Howard left for New Mexico, where he stayed at the house of Fountain. He soon returned to the area and on October 9, shot and killed Cardis on a street in Franklin, which by this time had been renamed El Paso. The people of San Elizario were outraged and demanded the arrest of Howard. He was arraigned and let out on bail.

The Rangers

On December 12, 1877, Howard returned to San Elizario with a company of 20 Texas Rangers led by John B. Tays. Once again, a mob descended upon them. Howard and the Rangers took cover in the buildings, eventually taking refuge in the town's church. After a two-day siege, Tays surrendered the company of Rangers marking the only time in history a Texas Ranger unit ever surrendered to a mob. Howard, Ranger Sergeant John McBride, and merchant and ex-police Lieutenant John G. Atkinson were immediately executed and their bodies hacked and dumped into a well. The Rangers were disarmed and sent out of town. The civic leaders of San Elizario fled to Mexico, and the people of the town looted the buildings. In all, twelve people were killed and fifty wounded.

Consequences

As a result of the unrest, San Elizario lost its status as county seat, which was relocated to El Paso. The 9th Cavalry of Buffalo Soldiers were sent to reestablish Fort Bliss to keep an eye on the border and the local Hispanic population. When the railroad came to West Texas in 1883, it bypassed San Elizario. The town's population decreased, and Hispanics lost their political influence in the region.

References

* [http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/SS/hjs5.html "San Elizario"] , Handbook of Texas
* [http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/SS/jcs1.html "Salt War of San Elizario"] , Handbook of Texas
* [http://www.epcc.edu/nwlibrary/borderlands/18_salt_war.htm "Salt War of 1877 Divided Southwest Residents"] - "Borderlands", El Paso Community College Local History Project
* [http://www.co.el-paso.tx.us/mural/ipix/detail39_salt.html "The Salt Wars"] , El Paso County Historical Association
* [http://www.nps.gov/gumo/historyculture/saltwar.htm "The El Paso Salt Wars"] , U.S. National Parks Service
* "The Texas Rangers: A Century of Frontier Defense" Walter Prescott Webb, 1965(1935), University of Texas Press