Star on the Mountain
The El Paso Star is a man-made star-shaped landmark on the Franklin Mountains in El Paso, Texas that is illuminated nightly by the El Paso Chamber of Commerce. It was first lighted as a Christmas decoration in 1940 and was meant as a reminder to people on both sides of the nearby Mexico–United States border that America was at peace during the holiday season. It has also been compared to the similar Roanoke Star in Virginia.
The five-point star consists of 459 bulbs and is visible from the air at up to 100 miles (160 km) away. It was previously only lit during the holiday season, but is now maintained year-round by the Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce and the El Paso Electric Company.
History
20th century
The star was first lighted on November 29, 1940 at 6:12 p.m. with over 300 blue-white daylight lamps.[1][2] It was constructed by the El Paso Electric Company, which hoped that the star would "contribute something toward the festive appearance of [the] city during the holiday season." The star, which was over 400 feet (120 m) long and 300 feet (91 m) wide, was also intended as a reminder that America was at peace.[1]
In 1941, the star was enlarged from 300 bulbs to 350 to fill in dim spots.[1]
The star was reconstructed in December 1946 after being destroyed by a storm[3] and was visible from the air at up to 100 miles (160 km) away.[4] This version of the star was constructed with 459 "daylight blue" lamps and was 268 by 278 feet (82 by 85 m).[5]
El Paso residents have also compared the El Paso Star to the similar Roanoke Star in Roanoke, Virginia.[5]
For almost 50 years, the star only shined for the holiday season, with two exceptions. Starting in 1979, the star was lighted every night for 444 nights to support U.S. hostages during the Iran hostage crisis.[4] When the hostages were released, the star went dark once again. It also shined every night from the 1990 Christmas season until August 21, 1991, the day when the last Fort Bliss soldier returned from the Gulf War.[1]
In November 1993, a joint project between the Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce and the El Paso Electric Company led to the star being lit nightly,[1][6] although many residents of El Paso were originally against the idea.[7] The project also allows individuals to sponsor a lighting of the star in honor of a loved one or a special occasion.[8]
21st century
$32,000 was spent to remodel the star in 2007, including installing new wiring and lighting fixtures, more reliable bulbs, and a radio frequency system to allow remote control of the star from a computer or cell phone. This allowed easy control of the star without requiring a crew to physically go up the Franklin Mountains.[1]
The city government took ownership of the star in 2009 after the city council voted to accept the Chamber of Commerce's donation of the equipment and logo. In 2010, the city council voted to approve a 50-year lease with 88 Investments Inc., the company that owns the land that the star resides on. Rather than paying rent, the city would pay taxes of about $1,200 per year on the land.[1]
In October 2021, the star was bright red to celebrate several public safety campaigns, including Fire Prevention Week, National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and Red Ribbon Week.[9]
Vandalism
The star is frequently vandalized by trespassers, and officials say that vandalism has been constant for as long as the star has existed.[10] The Chamber of Commerce has constantly asked the local community to avoid trespassing and vandalizing this symbol of El Paso, also noting that the area is monitored by cameras and the El Paso Police Department.[10]
Vandalism of the star typically consists of breaking light bulbs and discarding empty beer bottles at the site and has been known to result in criminal citations from El Paso police.[10] Some vandals also steal light bulbs from the property.[11]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Long, Trish (December 20, 2018). "El Paso's Star on the Mountain originated as Christmas ornament". El Paso Times. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
- ^ Herren, Wil (July 17, 2020). "El Paso's 'Star on the Mountain' has undergone 80 years of change - with more yet to come". KVIA. Archived from the original on March 11, 2022. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
- ^ Laird, John (May 5, 1993). "Mountain star not exclusive to El Pasoans". El Paso Times. Retrieved May 27, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Laird, John (December 4, 1988). "El Paso's star reclaims glow again tonight". El Paso Times. Retrieved May 27, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Hooten, W. J. (December 16, 1949). "Everyday Events". El Paso Times. Retrieved May 27, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Villalva, Maribel (January 1, 2000). "Landmarks designate city's neighborhoods". El Paso Times. Retrieved May 27, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Lighting the Star: Who likes the idea? Not many who called in". El Paso Times. April 29, 1993. Retrieved May 27, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Star Lighter". El Paso Times. September 5, 2001. Retrieved May 27, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Here's Why El Paso's Star Is Shining Bright In Red This Month". KISS-FM. October 3, 2021. Archived from the original on March 11, 2022. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
- ^ a b c "Vandals target El Paso's 'Star on the Mountain'". KFOX. November 17, 2020. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
- ^ Davis, Todd (July 12, 2016). "11 Arrested for Vandalism to El Paso's Star On The Mountain". NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth. Archived from the original on March 11, 2022. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
External links
