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As
stated earlier; The West Texas Repeater Association
is located in the Northwest corner of Texas,
bordering old Mexico. Our sites are located at
some interesting places, so maybe a bit of
background information is in order.
The
Franklin Mountains of El Paso, Texas
Rising over 3280 ft (1000 m) above the surrounding
basins, the
Franklin
Mountains
dominate the skyline of the city of El Paso. The
range begins within the El Paso City limits in the
south and extends northward across the New Mexico
border for a distance of about 15 mi (24 km). The
Franklins are the southernmost extension of an
almost continuous series of north-south trending
ranges that extend over 99 mi (160 km). The ranges
include, from north to south: the San Andres, San
Augustine, Organ, North Franklin, and Franklin
ranges.
The
continuous north-south ridge line
of the Franklin and North Franklin mountains is
separated by Anthony Gap approximately 0.5 mi (0.8
km) north of the New Mexico state line and the north
park boundary. The 7 mi (11 km) long North Franklin
Mountains are separated from the Organ Mountains by
the 4.5 mi (7.2 km) Fillmore Pass (4210 ft, 1284 m).
The ancestral Rio Grande flowed, prior to the
erosional event that led to the stream piracy that
has formed the current channel of the Rio Grande at
Paso del Norte (Pass of the North) on the
southwestern flank of the Franklin Mountains. The
highest Peak in the North Franklins is North
Anthony's Nose (5388 ft, 1643 m).
The major Franklin peaks, north to south, are:
Anthony's Nose, North Mount Franklin, South Mount
Franklin, Mount Franklin, and at the southern end of
the Mount Franklin ridge Ranger and Comanche peaks.
The major canyons of the range from north to south
are Hitt, Fusselman, and McKelligon on the eastern
side and Vinton, Avispa, and Fusselman on the
western side. All of these canyons drain either east
or west with the exception McKelligon that drains
south-southeast out of the southeastern part of the
range. The lowest elevation within park boundaries
is approximately 4150 ft (1265 m). The highest
elevation recorded in the range and the park is at
North Franklin Mountain 7192 ft (2193 m) which is
also the highest structural point in Texas.
No permanent surface water exists in the Franklin
Mountains. However, a number of springs and seeps
will flow for most, if not all, of the year. The
majority of the water, however, is discharged
beneath the surface in rock-filled stream channels.
Significant springs in the park include East
Cottonwood, West Cottonwood, and Mundy. Several dams
have been constructed in canyons and arroyos but
these do not retain permanent pools of water.
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