The El Paso and Southwestern Railroad was constructed in 1902 by Phelps, Dodge and Company to link El Paso, Texas, with the copper mines of Bisbee, Arizona. New Mexico Highway 9, the Border Route between Columbus and Rodeo, parallels the rail line and actually uses a portion of the abandoned railroad bed. Southern Pacific's Golden State Limited and Californian passenger trains passed through Rodeo until 1952.