Letters on the mountains (Austin, El Paso: school district, live, law)

[simbared]

Hello El Paso. Does anyone know the history of the high school letters on the mountain? I lived in El Paso in the 60's, and they were up there before I got there. I know there are letters for Coronado, Austin, Jefferson, and Irvin. Is the one above Scenic a "B" for Bowie or "E" for El Paso High?

Some of the letters used to be lit up on game nights -- is that still done? How do people feel about them? Have there been any efforts by anyone to remove them for environmental or asthetic reasons, or are they pretty much accepted by everyone? Times have changed, and I can't imagine anyone would be allowed to put one on the mountain today. Just curious.

[smguy101]

I dont know the history about them, but the B does mean Bowie and the E for El Paso High. The letters are not lit up on game nights anymore and are being faded out for environmental reasons.

[LEVOW]

I remember in the early 80s, i thought it was pretty cool, how all the major schools at that time were represented. I beleive the [c] for Coronado is still up there, and i know the [a] for Austin, is still there, and i believe my bro in law told me, that Eastwood, still has the burning of the [E]........On a side note, I remember when i went to my first Miner game back like in 82, my uncle told me, "you know what that [M] in the mountain means?" I was all proud like," Yes, it means Miners!" and then jokingly he was like, " No, it stands for Mensos" lol

[HIGH!Lonesome]

Back in the early sixties you could really see them all alot better than now, the letters on the mountain represent the high schools of the El Paso independent school district,
Eastwood belongs in the Ysleta independent school district so that letter E has to be for El Paso High, there was one that had a horseshoe and a B in the middle for Burgess High,
Jefferson had one and um Bowie I dont really recalls Bowies but I'm sure they also had representation on the mountain.

M for mensos, hehehe well they use to play like mensos your uncle was probably right,
No M for MINERS

[simbared]

Thanks for the information and stories. I remember the Burges horseshoe, and found this story on a Burges alumni website:

"When Burges High opened in September 1955, a number of senior class members wanted Burges to have a letter on the Franklin Mountain to go with those of Austin High, Jefferson High, Bowie High, and El Paso High. We had a long disscussion about how to have a "B" which did not look like the Bowie "B". It was decided that we should have a horseshoe surrounding our "B" and we proceeded to set it up. We had to haul the whitewash up the road on the other side of the mountain which was used to service and maintain the tower of a local tv/radio station. The area chosen was very steep and it was difficult to gather the rock to form the letter and the horseshoe and whitewash all of it. I recall that the town fathers were not to happy with what we had done, but we did have our "B" and horseshoe on the mountain."

[Muhnay]

I dont ever recall ANDRESS having a A on the mountain. We used to have the Burining of the A in the football field, one year we burned it into the Irvins Football field, they TP'd our quad and ripped the old eagle up. I miss the old Eagle.. at leaste they got a new bronze one, and got rid of the hand cuffed pegion they had before.

[HIGH!Lonesome]

I dont think that Andress and probably even Irvin were allowed to have their letters placed on the mountain afterwards, but I do love to use my imagination and I say that if the lower valley had a mountain of their own, without doubt there would have been a giant Y staring down on all El Paso, if not a giant Y then maybe an arrow going through a Highlander, all on whitewash people not the real thing we use to love Bel Air.lol

[Muhnay]

Thats right I think we just claimed the Austin A, as ours.. after all most of the time at a Andress, Austin game you could hardly tell us apart letter jacket wise.. brown and gold and Maroon and gold. =)

[Jace1983]

They are as follows:

On the east side of town.
J = Jefferson High school.
A = Ether Austin high school, or Andress.

On the west side of town.
C = Coronado High school.
E = El Paso High school.

That is all I remember. I moved away in April of 1999. I was told that they where put up there way back when the schools made state in foot ball, but I do not know if that is true. I don't remember the story on the M, or the B but I do remember that they where created well after the others... Or so my dad told me.



All so on a side note...
MY NAME IS ON THE MOUNTAIN!!! Sorry I had to do that.

[EpBoy915]

The A for Austin is on private land and the owner is a former panther so he allows people to go up there and maintain it and light it on special ocassions. If you look at the E for EP High it looks like an "8" now thanks to a prank by Austin students.