Fort Bliss Has Shaped El Paso Since 1854

Fort Bliss was officially named on March 8, 1854, honoring Lt. Col. William Wallace Smith Bliss, who served under Gen. Zachary Taylor in the Mexican War. The post changed hands during the Civil War — Confederate forces occupied it briefly in 1861 before Union troops returned in 1862. It was also reestablished after the Salt War of San Elizario in 1877–1878.

The fort grew dramatically in the 20th century, eventually covering more than one million acres. By the 1990s it employed about 20,000 military personnel and 8,000 civilians and contributed over $500 million annually to the El Paso economy. Today it remains one of the U.S. Army's largest installations and a major anchor of the regional economy.