NURSING HOMES. In March, 1947, Mrs. Myrtle Tegard opened the first nursing home in El Paso at 469 Elmwood Court. It was later moved to 398 North Cherry. After Mrs. Bernard Sutton purchased the business she moved it to 404 East First Street, the old M. A. Adams residence. It was recently the Wilkey Nursing Home, and has just been sold to Mrs. Myrtle Tegard, who also operates a nursing home called the Tobein Nursing Home in her original location which she enlarged in 1953. Tobein Nursing Home accepts both men and women; the Wilkey Nursing Home has accepted only women.

RESTAURANTS AND TAVERNS. The White Hut, moved to Adams Street on Route 24 in 1949. The Snack Shop, one-half block west of the Illinois Central on Route 24, the Bus Stop Cafe and Greene's Grill, east and west on the intersection on Route 24, and Mrs. Violet Locke's restaurant on Route 51, were all moved to their present locations or built for restaurant purposes. The Arbor Cafe at 45 West Front Street, is operated by Mabelle O. Kilpatrick as the only uptown restaurant although Bob's Dairy nearby, owned by Robert O. Hocker, handles light lunches. The Helen Smith Tea Room opened for business in the old Donner home at Main and Sycamore Streets in March, 1954.

Saloons and sample rooms dispensed alcoholic beverages of various sorts from the early days, in spite of periodic agitation against it, usually led by the Ministerial Association and the Women’s Christian Temperance Union. The dry forces were successful in 1896 and at later times, but for comparatively brief periods. After the repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment the city council voted to issue licenses for the sale of alcoholic beverages and four class A licenses were issued July 3, 1933 at $200 annually. The last vote on local option was in 1943, and the drys were defeated 601 to 220.

At present three taverns are operated under Class C licenses at $400 annually by Ivan Williams, Harry Mason and Mrs. Mabelle O. Kilpatrick. El Paso Post #6026, Veterans of Foreign Wars, has a club license which costs it a $60 annual fee.

BANKS. As in most pioneer communities, our first bank established in 1864 by John G. Ferguson and E. T. Disonay was a private institution. Disonay had to sell his interest in a short time because of ill health, and it was purchased by William Shur and his son, A. O. Shur, who then called the firm Shur, Ferguson & Co. Their bank was located in the Strathman Building on Front Street, the second door west of Cherry, but it was moved to the George L. Gibson building further west in the same block as soon as the latter was built.

Ferguson sold his interest to P. H. Tompkins, and in 1871-72 the firm of Shur, Tompkins & Co. built a new three-story building at the corner of Front and Central Streets at a cost of $60,000 and called it the Eagle Building, since it had a wooden replica of a bald eagle at its highest point. The bank moved to the ground floor of the new building. Tompkins later bought out the other members of the firm.

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