f 
VALLEY OF THE RIO GRANDE. 193 
was the military post for about three years, under the 
command of Major Van Horne. Many of the build- 
ings are now unoccupied. 
About one and a half miles below is the principal 
village, which was established by James W. Magoffin, 
Esq., a gentleman from Missouri, and one of the oldest 
American settlers in the country. This place is called 
Magoffinsville, and was the head-quarters of the Boun- 
dary Commission while in the country. Its enterpris- 
ing proprietor has erected around a large open square 
some of the best buildings in the country, which are 
now occupied as stores and warehouses. This is an 
admirable situation for a town, and will, no doubt, be 
the centre of the American settlements at El Paso."^' 
An acequia now runs through the square, and the land 
around is of the finest quality. A mile further east is a 
large rancho belonging to Mr. Stevenson, around which 
is a cluster of smaller dwellings. 
About ten miles below El Paso is an island some 
twenty miles in length ; it is one of the most fertile 
spots in the whole valley, and has been cultivated 
since the first settlement of the country. On this 
island, which belongs to the United States, are the towns 
of Isleta, Socorro, and San Eleazario, chiefly inhabited 
by Mexicans. Of these San Eleazario is the larger, and 
was the old. Presidio or military post on the frontier. 
It contains many respectable Spanish families, and some 
few Americans. It is now ’ the seat of the county 
^ The exact position of the centre of this plaza or square, as deter- 
mined by Lieut. Whipple, is 31° 46'' 05'''', 5 north latitude, and 7° 5^ 
24'''' longitude west from Greenwich. The distance due south to the 
centre of the channel of the Rio Grande is 2,226 feet. 
VOL. I. — 13 
