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Current Location of Camp Chigas


The Current Location of Camp Chigas
The El Paso Sub-district Headquarters
The First National Border Patrol Training School

The following pictures and maps briefly show the highlights of the research that led to the confirmation of the location of the main building of Camp Chigas if it was still in existence today.
 
Numerous photographs of the building exist.  Wider shots show that the building was approximately two blocks north of the Rio Grande River.
1929
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In the photo below, Camp Chigas is in the red square.  
​North is to the left.
1940's
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​Research began by concentrating on the area immediately adjacent to Cordova Island.  The building was not located in this area after studying numerous maps and aerial photographs.
​Map from 1943
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The building and its location were found in maps near the Santa Fe Bridge and the Rio Grande River. The silhouette of the building was in the 1959 map.
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​The building and its location were found in aerial photographs.  By 1967, the building had been demolished as part of the construction to divert the river and change the border as per the Chamizal Treaty.
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Images from maps were scaled and superimposed to confirm the current location.

Below, a 1959 map was superimposed onto a 1967 map.  The 1959 map shows an outline of the District HQ.  The 1967 map shows the new border under the Chamizal Treaty.  The building is in the United States.
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Photographs were scaled and superimposed to confirm the current location.

Below, a 1955 image is superimposed onto a 2014 map.  The building is in the United States.
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Conclusion - The location of building that housed the El Paso Sub-district Headquarters and the first National Border Patrol Training School in the 1920’s through the 1950’s has been located with a high degree of accuracy. 
If the building were in existence today, it would be located in the United States.

CURRENT LOCATION OF CAMP CHIGAS


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​Last updated on March 2025.
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