anson mills

much credit to why el paso is called el paso goes to anson mills.  he was in the army, and also worked as a surveyor, civil engineer, builder, and inventor.  he laid out the first plat of el paso in 1859, and dubbed it 'el paso.'  (it was formerly franklin)  this caused a lot of confusion since juarez was also called el paso until it's name got changed in 1888.   in case you're wondering, as i was, what a plat is, it's a map or plan of an area showing actual or proposed features.  there you have it.