• Sit for a spell under a cottonwood tree and view the Franklin Mountains, seemingly nestled between the U.S. and Mexico flags in front of the visitor center. The two flags reflect our heritage; this land once belonging to Mexico and now to the U.S.

    Chamizal

    National Memorial Texas

  • Alcohol Ban for Visitor Safety

    From June 1 through August 31, the consumption or possession of alcoholic beverages without a permit is prohibited. During Music Under the Stars concerts, alcohol may be purchased within the memorial boundary. More »

Artifacts

The Black Box

NPS

The Black Box is currently on display in the Administration Building.

A Little Black Box

This ISN'T a black box you would find inside an airplane. So what is it?

On December 13, 1968 in El Paso, Texas, President Lyndon B. Johnson and President Gustavo Díaz Ordaz met on the Santa Fe Bridge for the Inaugural Ceremony of the new concrete-lined channel named in honor of Adolfo López Mateos, who had initiated the settlement of the Chamizal dispute five years before.

So why the black box?
A temporary dirt dam to hold back the water had been built upstream and the plan was to have both presidents turn the key to arm the box. A light would come on and then they would simultaneously push the red buttons to detonate an explosive charge to blow up the dam and have a gush of water flow through the channel.

As it turns out, the Secret Service did not allow for all that wiring to be near the presidents. Instead an engineer was on standby and when he saw that the presidents had pushed the red buttons, he radioed down to another engineer who was supposed to detonate the charges. Well, when the charge was detonated, nothing happened! All that was seen was a puff of smoke! In haste, engineers bulldozed the dam so the river could flow through, for two nations and two presidents were anxiously awaiting the gush of water from the Rio Grande to flow through the new channel.

 
Presidents LBJ and Díaz Ordaz with the black box
US President Lyndon B. Johnson and Mexican President Gustavo Díaz Ordaz on the Santa Fe Bridge in downtown El Paso, Texas.
December 13, 1968

Did You Know?

Chalk Art - People Holding Hands

The Chamizal Convention of 1963 settled a 100-year long boundary dispute with Mexico. The Memorial is the only NPS site that commemorates the unique way the Chamizal Dispute was settled –through goodwill, diplomacy, mutual cooperation and cross-cultural understanding. More...