El Paso, Texas - Alligator Park aka Plaza de los Lagartos

Downtown's San Jacinto Plaza was home to alligators from 1883 to the 1960s. In the old days, people weren't sure if alligators could the survive the chilly winter nights, so humane (and probably drunk) gentlemen would snatch the gators from the pond at the park, wrap them in coffee sacks, and haul them back to the saloon. There, the grateful critters enjoyed a cozy night behind the potbelly stove. In the morning, the gentlemen would return the alligators to the park, break the ice with their bootheels, untie and unwrap the animals, and pitch them back into the water. Eventually, hijinks from the college and military population persuaded the city fathers to do away with the toothy attractions. Today, there is a very large commemorative statue of the beloved gators at the plaza. There is also a very large population of pigeons, kooks, vagrants, and street-preachers. Great for people-watching. [John H Russell, 05/25/2003]

[RA: June 14, 2006: According to a news account in the El Paso Times, the artist who created El Paso's fiberglass alligator plaza sculpture died in a freak accident yesterday. Luis Jimenez was working in his Hondo, NM art studio with two helpers when a large sculpture came loose and pinned him against a steel beam. The 65-year old Jimenez died at a local hospital. ]