San Jacinto Plaza

San Jacinto Plaza is a historic park located on the corner of Oregon and Mills in the heart of Downtown El Paso, Texas.

When the US government leased land from Smith's ranch, for the first Post opposite El Paso (meaning El Paso del Norte, later renamed Ciudad Juarez), U.S. Army troops would drill in the plaza. The city of El Paso acquired the property on which the Plaza is located in 1881 from William T. Smith. Smith had bought the land from the heirs of its early owner, Juan Maria Ponce de Leon, a prominent El Paso figure, who had owned the spot since 1827. The square had since been the location of the corrals for de León’s ranch. The city cleared and cleaned the dry, sandy, mesquite-filled property and in 1903 the City Council officially named the park in honor of the famous battle Texas fought for its independence.

J. Fisher Satterwaite, El Paso Parks and Streets Commissioner, contracted with Fisher Satterthwaite to create beauty out of this desert patch. By 1883, the park was surrounded by a fence, a walled pond was created, a gazebo was erected and 75 Chinese Elm trees were planted. Satterthwaite then introduced three alligators into the pond.

The alligators were the central attraction and thrived. At one time the pond contained as many as seven of the reptiles. Most visitors to the park would rest on the wall surrounding the pond and watch the alligators. The reptiles quickly became a staple of the El Paso Culture. In 1952, an alligator named Oscar was hauled to Texas Western College and, as a prank, placed inside geology Professor Howard Quinn's office. On another occasion an alligator was found in the swimming pool at the college right before an intramural swim meet. Sally, one of the first alligators placed in the pond, was the object of a weight-guessing contest. The closest guess won $100 and a trip to Mexico. In 1952, Minnie, a 54-year-old female alligator, laid an egg in the pond and spectators were delighted when they saw a protective Minnie spring to life and rush towards her egg as park employees cleaned the pond.

In March 1953, Oscar was found dead at the bottom of the pond, the result of internal injuries after vandals removed him and threw him back into the pond when police arrived. Seven months later, El Pasoan Myrtle Price donated two alligators named Jack and Jill to the Plaza in place of Oscar.

...
Wikipedia