EL PASO, TEXAS — Three Andress High School students took Borderland history to a national stage, presenting research on the 1917 El Paso Bath House Riots at the Smithsonian Museum as part of National History Day competition.

Seniors Giulliana Williams and Matthew Rodriguez, along with junior Abel Castenon, researched the Bath House Riots and presented their project to a panel of judges during the national competition in Washington, D.C.

The students chose to focus on a chapter of El Paso history that many people outside the region have never heard about.

In 1917, migrants crossing between Juárez and El Paso were inspected and, in some cases, required to undergo gasoline or kerosene baths as part of public health measures. The practice sparked protests after 17-year-old Carmelita Torres refused to comply, leading to what became known as the El Paso Bath House Riots.

Williams said one aspect of the project that stood out was the historical influence the events have had beyond Borderland.

“One notable fact is that the blueprints or outline of the sanitation chambers here were heavily inspired during the Holocaust,” Williams said. “In Hitler’s books, he actually mentioned El Paso, thanking El Paso for the idea.”

Although the team did not finish among the top 10 entries at the national competition, students said the experience was about bringing attention to an overlooked part of local history.

“This event really deserves to be in our history books because not a lot of people know about it,” Castañon said. “It’s one of the things that shaped our community the most.”

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Andress High School students bring El Paso’s 1917 Bath House Riots to Smithsonian Museum

The students said they hope their project encourages more people to learn about the Bath House Riots and their lasting impact on the Borderland.

KFOX14 also wants to give a special shoutout to students from Hornedo Middle School, who represented the Borderland at this year’s National History Day competition in Washington, D.C.

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