The El Paso Star on the Mountain adorns the city’s natural landmark and brands the region with courage, pride and hope.
“It’s more than a monument. It shows we are the Star City in the Lone Star State,” says Danai Sanchez, director of membership for the El Paso Chamber.
The chamber ensures the star shines bright every night with support from private citizens, businesses and community organizations.
For many, it’s a beacon that signals us home.
“Many El Paso natives have an emotional tie to the star,” Sanchez says. “They might move away, but when they see the star, they know they’re home.”
The star was first built by El Paso Electric in 1940. At the time, it measured only 50 feet wide and couldn’t be seen from very far.
Today, the 450-bulb star is 278 feet wide and 459 feet in length. It can be seen for 100 miles from the air and some 30 miles from the ground, gracing the community with its beauty at dusk daily.
“As soon as the sun goes down, the star lights up,” Sanchez says.
“We recently used the star to honor the victims of the Aug. 3, 2019, shooting. It flashed 23 times in their honor, showing they are alive on in our memories, and uniting us as a community.”
The star originally was only lit around the winter holidays, as well as during difficult times for the community such as the Iran hostage crisis and Desert Storm when many Fort Bliss soldiers were deployed. It’s been lit daily since 1993 when the El Paso Chamber took over its upkeep from El Paso Electric.
El Paso artist Tino Ortega, the co-founder of Galería Lincoln, remembers the star was only lit during Christmas when he was a kid, and therefore never takes it for granted.
“The shining star on the mountain is very special and personal to me,” Ortega says. “You can get it lit for different occasions and events. I got my star lighting certificate to commemorate my wive's birthday.
And, although every instance is subjective, seeing the star lit up will remind people of that particular moment and make it everlasting.”
Star on the Mountain History
1940 |
The first star was built by El Paso Electric Company on the side of the Franklin Mountains, stretching 50 feet wide. After a short time, a storm blew out the majority of the bulbs. Soon after, a larger star was built using 300 bulbs. It stretched 300 feet in width and 403 feet in length. |
1946 |
Improvements were made to the star, and its dimensions were adjusted to 278 feet wide and 459 feet in length. It used 450 lights. The steel poles vary in length from 12 feet to 15 feet and are embedded in concrete. The star was lit during the Christmas season, becoming an El Paso holiday tradition. |
1970 |
El Paso Electric reduced the schedule for lighting the star because of the energy crisis, but it remained on ever year during Christmastime. |
1980 |
The star was lit for 444 days, from late 1979 until Jan. 21, 1981, during the Iran hostage crisis. |
1990 |
The star remained lit during the Gulf War until Aug. 21, 1991, in support of Fort Bliss and U.S. troops stationed with Operation Desert Storm. |
1993 | The El Paso Chamber of Commerce spearheaded a movement to keep the star lit throughout the year. It was lit on April 21, 1993, during the chamber’s annual banquet and has lit up the El Paso sky daily since. |
2000 |
In December 2000, the star’s upkeep was officially turned over to the El Paso Chamber of Commerce. |
2020 | At 9 p.m. Aug. 3, 2020, the Star flashed 23 times as a tribute to the victims of the 2019 El Paso shooting. |
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