Searching for El Paso’s Past

I have driven passed Concordia Cemetery in central El Paso, Texas thousands of times in my life.  This historic graveyard lies just off the main freeway through the city, reminding drivers of mortality if they care to think such solemn thoughts while speeding to their destinations. 

One Saturday my husband Wayne and I decided to attend a "Walk Through History" tour at Concordia Cemetery. Volunteers dressed in 19^th century costumes were portraying various historical figures buried there, and we hoped to learn more about early El Paso and its colorful beginnings. 

Concordia Cemetery looks very old.  The landscaping would be called xeric in modern times, just some spiky century plants and one or two native trees which offer an occasional bit of shade. 

65,000 souls are buried in Concordia.  The cemetery is divided into sections, reflecting the social divisions of early El Paso society. There was a separate section for Buffalo Soldiers, another for Chinese families, and still another for wealthy Anglo families.

But Concordia didn’t feel like a typical graveyard, perhaps because of all of the activity and the bright sunshine that Saturday morning.

The first “ghost” to speak to us was Octavia Magoffin, an attractive lady dressed in black.  She was the wife of Joseph Magoffin, an early El Paso pioneer.  I was quickly taken in by her story of the difficult early years of marriage during the Civil War, the life she and Joseph began in El Paso to make their fortune, and her rich family life that included much entertaining and even a trip to Europe.  The house they built is now a Texas Historical Site near downtown El Paso.  Wayne and I had visited it last year on a Halloween tour (it is reportedly haunted!).  

Other “ghosts” invited us to share their lives.  Lawmen, dentists, doctors, and ministers told of trying to civilize early El Paso.  Desperadoes, gamblers, and ladies of the night told their stories defiantly, making sure they were not forgotten.  

Neither the fabled “Lady in White” nor the “Lady in Black,” who reportedly walk the trails of the cemetery, appeared to us that day.  But we could not help but notice the many gravestones of ordinary people too.  There were gravestones with only a few precious years between birth and death.  There were others placed near each other in order for the souls to spend eternity together.  One had the hopeful words,  “Until we meet again.” Still others were cryptic.  Wouldn't you love to hear the story behind this one? 

I decided that Concordia Cemetery might not be such a bad place to be laid to rest.  It is a peaceful place, the mountains in the background are majestic, and the company one could keep there on ghostly nighttime outings would definitely be lively!

But a melancholy thought crept into our consciousness as we left the Concordia area to drive home.  Will someone in the next century be visiting our graves and wondering about the details of our lives?  Worse yet, would there be anything interesting to say about us?  Thank goodness we have a few good years left to add to our legends!