Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1896-04-17
THIS LOCALITY
~
Las Vegas, the Chief City
of New Mexico Some
of Her Resources,
Attractions and
Advantages.

1850" $3.50 - NN
0 lies on both sides Of the Gallinas river
Z and, with Its suburbs, has about 1000
Inhabitants.
1t has water works, street cars, arc an
incandescent electric light plant, telephon
exchanges, Territorial agricultural expert
ment station, headquarters Of the Atchi
son railway system, New Mexico division
; together with railrbsd machine shops ant
tie preserving works, stock yards, and tb'
largest sheep shearing and dipping plan
In the United States.
West of the river, the old town has thu
quaint and picturesque Mexican appear
ance - adobe houses, narrow, crooked
streets, native people and customs, handi-
crafts and occupations; but the plaza and
all Of the new town, east of the river, con
stirute a distinctive American city. The
streets are wide and well graded, while
sidewalks abound, shaded with growing
trees. Three parks, filed with grass and
trees, add to the beauty and healthfulness
Of the place. Handsome and filled
stores, beautiful residences, and innumera-
BILE law ms, set in grass and adorned with
%shrubbery and flowers, combine to pro-
claim a cultured community, possessed OF
all modern comforts and conveniences.
A city hall, three public school buildings,
court house, Masonic temple, opera house.
Territorial Normal school and Territorial
Insane asylum are public buildings, con-
structed of red and white cut sandstone,
unsurpassed in beauty by similar edifices
in any town, Of equal size, In the States.
An Academy, Seminary, Jesuit college,
Convent school, Presbyterian Mission
school, Methodist manual training school,
Christian Brothers, institute, City high
school, three graded public schools, a kin
dergarten, a commercial school and W
music schools, besides several private teach
ers, are among the educational advantages
and facilities.
LAS VEGAS is the natural sanatorium of
the United States, combining more nat
ural advantages than any, other place In
America. Her thermal waters are the
equali OF the Hot Springs OF Arkansas,
while her climate il infinitely superior.
There is no malaria, no excessive heat or
cold, no gnats, rats or mosquitoes. The
air is pure, dry, rariied, and highly cleo
trified-a certain cure for consumption, IL
the disease be taken in time. The hot
waters are a specific for liver, skin, rheu-
matte and blood disorders. Her Montezu-
ma hotel is the finest hosiery between
Chicago u Califof mia, and is situated in
a beautiful canyon, five miles from town,
where the Hot Springs, forty in number,
come boiling to the surface.
The latitude Is about the same as that OF
central Tennessee, while the altitude is
nearly $500 feet. This combination gives
a peculiar, but most happy, result. In the
winter, during the day, the thermometer
seldom falls, In the shade, below forty de-
grees, while it often runs, in the sunshine,
to sixty-f1ve degrees-or even more. On
the other hand, in the summer, the heat IS
never oppressive, IN the shade, and mo-
night is too warm for comfortable sleep,
under one or two blankets. The sun will
shine nine days out OF every ten, the year
round. This, with the extreme dryness of |
the air, caused by the very slight precipi-
tetion of moisture; the resinous aroma,
rolling down from the pine-clad noun
tains; the large amount of electricity in
the air, and the consequent ozone, RESULT
ing from thealtitude; and the location Of the
town, land LOCKED by mountain and mesa
these all conspire to produce an atmos-
pierre which is a balm to all diseases of the
respiratory organs. The percentage of
death from consumption is lower in New
Mexico than it is n where else in the
United States; and no other place In New
Mexico excels Las Vegas in the salubrity
OF its climate. Asthmatics experience
immediate and permanent relief, in this
altitude.
In the way of health and pleasure re-
sorts, Las Vegas is unrivaled. In a radius
of twenty miles, in romantic mountain
glens and beside habbling mountain brooks,
are the Las Vegas Hot Springs. Harvey's,
Ell Porvenir, SandovAl's Mineral Hill, Ro-
nero Ranch, Blake's, Sparks, Sapeilo,
to mention, where health can be recovered,
and life becomes a pleasure to the ennuye,
the invalid, the over-worked business man.
LAS VEGAS has two daily and Ave weekly
papers, three banks, two building and loan
associations, three hotels, many boarding
houses, nine churches, a~number OF clubs,
and all the leading civic and social %socie-
ties; a roller -four mill, capacity, fifty bar
rels per day two wool-scouring establish
cleaning 1,500, 600 pounds Of wool
annually; a well-equipped brewery and
establishments; q mandatory of
mineral and carbonated waters; two wag-
on and carriage factories; a saddle and
factory; a foundry. cleo
trio light plant, three planning mills.
There are eight large Wholesale houses,
trade extends throughout the Ter
ritory, and into the adjoining sections;
the volume of this trade, and the
value of the stocks which they carry, can
not be duplicated west Of Kansas City and
Of Denver. Three merchants brok-
ers have selected the city as their distrib-
uting center, the amount of their yearly
sales exceeding, in the aggregate, the COM
bined Gales OF all other such brokers in
New Mexico. The retail merchants, of
Las Vegas, are more numerous, and carry
and better stocks Of goods than do
the retail merchants OF any other tow in
Territory or Arizona.
LAS VEGAS is the distributing point for
nearly all New Mexico. By the Atchlson
system, she has connection with Kansas
u the east, Colorado on the north, Arizo-
"a and California on the west, and Texas
Old Mexico on the south. Besides
shese, she has more stage lines, connecting
1er with tributary territory, than has any
own in New Mexico. This territory
the entire section east and south
If the mountains, and comprises the coun-
les Of Colfax, Mora, Taos, San Miguel,
Santa Fe, Socorr0, Dona Ana, Grant,
Chaves, Lincoln and Eddy, with parts of
Valencia and BernaHllo-a country larger
han all New England. This takes in the
Valley ofthe Rio Grande, and the
less famous, but not less excellent, Valley
the Pecos-the finest fruit sections of
The west.
This Territory is rich In everything that
the Wealth of Nations. Iron,
coal, lead, silver, gold, mice, limestone,
sandstone. marbles, gypsum, soda in end
,ss variety and exhaustless quantities, ,
ire among the several products Of the
country which Las Vegas commands.
Sheep, cattle and lumber abound, so that
IN each OF these prime articles Of commerce
city Is the best market Ia New Mexico.
STE handles more wool than all the other
10 the Territory combined, while