Library Research Guides: Frontera: Home

About Frontera

Frontera is a centralized guide to all EPCC's local history guides, publications and videos. If you want to learn more about a facet of local history, use the tabs on top to browse EPCC publications or view our videos. Use the search box to find sources we've written OR links to other sources for further discovery!

Your search may also pull up potential topics that we have not fully researched yet but may interest you! These are grouped under the "Other Research Topics" tab at the top. Research that person, place, or topic through the sources listed on this page and email Rachel Murphree if you have any questions!

Be a Detective!

Wondering how to research local history? Follow our steps to "Be a Detective" by taking your topic keywords through the following sources.

Essential Sources

Search each topic in the sites below. There will not be information in every site. Don't get discouraged!

El Paso Times & El Paso Herald-Post Newspaper Archive
This historical newspaper provides genealogists, researchers and scholars with online, easily-searchable first-hand accounts and unparalleled coverage of the politics, society and events of the time. Coverage: 1881 - current.
Ebsco Discovery Services (EPCC users or on campus use)
Find books, ebooks, journals, newspapers, magazines, DVD's, etc.
Google Books
Search full-text of books, see previews of pertinent pages.
Access World News (EPCC users or on campus use)
National and international newspapers, useful for people famous outside of El Paso
Newspaper Source Plus (EPCC users or on campus use)
Search Las Cruces Sun News and others

Historical Sources

If your person or topic was prominent before 1999

Handbook of Texas
Specialized encyclopedia. Be sure to check article bibliography for further sources.
Password (Journal of the El Paso County Historical Society)
Online index to the journal. Also search the entire site using keywords. The first number (in bold or in roman numerals), is the volume, the second number is the page.
Institute of Oral History (UTEP)
contains over 1000 interviews covering a wide range of subjects, famous and ordinary people. Be sure to search on various terms, such as the diseases, public health, physicians, hospitals, nurses, etc. Most interviews are digitized / full text.
Portal to Texas History
Texas history materials: photos, maps, city directories, newspaper articles ( El Paso newspapers early 1900s only) journal articles and more .. Worth a quick search on your topic.
Complete list of the archival holdings in the C.L.Sonnichsen Special Collections Department. (UTEP Library)
Many of these manuscript collections are not yet available in the UTEP Library. If there isn't an online record, but the collection looks useful for your topic, call ahead to ask the librarians. (915) 747-5697

Specific Sources

Especially if your person or topic is associated with UTEP or from historical Mexican-American neighborhoods or was honored by Congress.

2023 Morales Index Combined
Online pdf index to El Paso historian Fred Morales' many local history books on areas of town such as the Segundo Barrio, Chihuahuita, Smeltertown, Downtown, Aoy and Bowie Schools, Cemeteries, Ciudad Juarez, the History of Transportation and much more! Does not include his History of Bowie High School: 1922-1973. Compiled by EPCC Librarian Marsha Labodda

eReserves at EPCC
Searchable full text of each Fred Morales' book
UTEP History Resources (Digital Commons)
an almost one stop portal for UTEP It includes their magazine NOVA articles, dissertations, photo and special archives, and archive of Prospector (student newspaper) articles.
Congressional Record
Depending on your topic, you could "strike gold" in the record of everything the US Congress has done in its sessions since the late 1800s.

Web sites / Social Media

Think carefully about the sources you are finding and using.

Currency - How recent is the information?
Reliability - What kind of information is included in the resource? Is it balanced? Does the creator provide references or sources for data or quotations?
Authority - Who is the creator or author? Who is the publisher or sponsor? What is the author's or publisher's interest (if any) in this information?
Accuracy - Is the content readable? Is the content truthful? Is the content correct?
Purpose/Point of View - Is this fact or opinion? Is the creator/author trying to sell you something; persuade you about something?

Check the acronym. Did your website pass the CRAAP Test?!

*Criteria adapted from the CRAAP Test, Meriam Library, California State University, Chico

Photos and more

El Paso History Radio Show Archive
Radio show archives that cover all aspects of regional history. Live on KTSM on Saturdays.Browse for topics to research.
DIGIE.ORG
Digital Information Gateway In El Paso. A vast collection of images and videos exploring El Paso’s past and present. Physical location at the El Paso History Museum downtown. These photos can be used for publishing Borderlands so it's a great source you must check!
Google Scholar
Google Scholar provides a simple way to broadly search for scholarly literature. Links to full text articles that are available to you.
Yearbook Digital -- Collection of El Paso related digital images
see the list and annotations

Looking for a Topic to Research?

Browse our list of people, places and much more to find a research topic

Border Heritage Center @ Main Library

VERTICAL FILE (collections of newspaper articles, brochures, photos etc.) very useful to find often unpublished sources on people, businesses, topics

Border Heritage Center
Due to Downtown Main Library renovation, now offering walk-in service at the Sergio Troncoso Library, 9321 Alameda, Selected photos and postcard collections online.

Border History Archives

Go here when you know as much as you can already! Call ahead for public access.

UTEP Special Collections Department
On the 6th floor of the UTEP Library, the Special Collections department has a wealth of local history: papers, photographs, manuscripts, maps, etc. Detailed descriptions of the collections that have been processed are online and searchable.
El Paso County Historical Society
The archives at the Historical Society contain DIFFERENT sources from Password! Call ahead ((915) 533-3603) to see if your topic may be in their archives.
McCall Neighborhood Center for African American history
McCall Neighborhood Center. Museum and archives of African American history in the Southwest. 3231 East Wyoming Avenue, El Paso, TX 79902 915.566.2407
NMSU Library Archives & Special Collections
Institute of Historical Survey Foundation
Located in Las Cruces, this is a premier historical archive for southwestern research. Index to their archives is on their website.

Librarian

Rachel Murphree (NW)

she, her

Email Me

Contact:

Northwest Library

(915) 831-8840

Subjects: Art, Humanities & Communication, Border History, Government