Bowie High School

By Tatiana Rodriguez

Bowie High School is one of the oldest schools in El Paso, Texas. It began as a grammar school in September 1922 to reduce overcrowding at Aoy and Alamo schools. However, El Paso High School was the only high school in town at the time, which also became overcrowded as a result of the growing population in Segundo Barrio in South El Paso. Instead of waiting to build a new school, officials decided to turn Bowie Grammar School into a high school in 1927. That same year, ninth graders started to attend Bowie High, and the first class, made up of four girls and nine boys, graduated in 1931.1

The first Bowie principal, A.L. Carlton, created the atmosphere that students enjoyed. Carlton was aware that many families in the neighborhood did not have indoor plumbing or electricity. He allowed students to use the school's facilities after school hours. Carlton also selected the bear as the mascot and wrote the lyrics to the school's song, "We're Loyal to You, Bowie High." Even though Bowie originally did not have a football stadium or indoor basketball court, it excelled in many sports. In 1933, "Bowie won the district football championship ... and boasted an Olympic athlete among its graduates"2, Javier Montes, who competed in the Olympics in Helsinki, Finland in 1952. The school's baseball team also won the first ever 2A state championship in 1949.3

Bowie High made history in September 1964 when it became a meeting point for U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson and Mexican President Adolfo Lopez Mateos to sign the Chamizal Treaty, which resolved the century long border dispute between the U.S. and Mexico. "The 193 acres that went to the United States was split between today's Bridge of the Americas, Chamizal National Memorial, and the new Bowie High School, located on San Marcial Street."4 The new building opened in August 1973 with 105 classrooms, a library, cafeteria, football stadium seating 8,000 and a gym seating 2,500.5 The old building is now Guillen Middle School, located on Cotton Street. It is named after Bowie alumnus, Ambrosio Guillen, who fought in the Korean War and posthumously received the Congressional Medal of Honor.6

Some of Bowie's most notable graduates are NCAA basketball coach Nolan Richardson and LULAC national president Belen Robles. The song written by A.L. Carlton rings true for the school's alumni: "We'll back you to stand, to the very last man. For we're loyal to you, Bowie High." On September 27, 2023, an official Texas historical marker was placed at Bowie's original location to commemorate its 100 years of history.7 Today, the school continues to be deeply interconnected with the cultural fabric of the Chamizal neighborhood.

Bowie Grammar School became Bowie High School almost overnight during the 1920s. Photo courtesy of El Paso County Historical Society. https://epcc.libguides.com/c.php?g=754275&p=5406032. 

Bowie High School and its historical marker. Photo courtesy of James Hulse. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=252366. 

Footnotes:

1 Borderlands, May 11, 2026. https://epcc.libguides.com/c.php?g=754275&p=5406032. 

2 Ibid.

3 The Historical Marker Database. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=252366.

4 NPS, Oct. 26, 2024. https://www.nps.gov/places/old-bowie-high-school.htm.

5 Borderlands, May 11, 2026. https://epcc.libguides.com/c.php?g=754275&p=5406032. 

6 Ibid.

7 El Paso Times, Sept. 28, 2023. https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/education/episd/2023/09/28/at-100-la-bowie-added-to-list-of-historic-texas-landmarks-high-school-el-paso/70989574007/.