Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1896-03-18
LOCALITY
Las Vegas, the Chief City
of New Mexico Some
of Her Resources,
Attractions and
Advantages.


LAS VEGAS, meaning "The Meadows,
is the county seat Of San Miguel county
lies on both sides OF the Gallinas river
and, with its suburbs, has about 1000
inhabitants.
1t has water works, street cars, arc ant
~incandescent electric light plant, telephonI
exchanges, Territorial agricultural expert
ment station, headquarters OF tina A.nh.
son railway system, New Mexico division
together with railroad machine shops ant
tiesproserving works. stock yards, and th,
largest sheep shearing and dipping plan
in the United States.
West of the river, the old town has tho
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.
stitute . 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 well filled
stores, beautiful residences, and innumera-
BILE lawns, set in grass and adorned with
s%hrubbery and flowers, combine to pro-
claim a cultured community, possessed Of
ali modern comforts and conveniences
A city hall, three public school buildings,
courthouse, 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 ediices
in any town, of equal size, in the States.
An Academy, Seminary, Jesuit college,
Convent school, Presbyterian Mission
school, Methodist manual training school,
Brothers, institute, City high
three graded public schools, a kin
dergarten, a commercial school and two
music schools, besides several private teach.
ers. are among the educational advantages
and facilities.
LAS VEGAS is the natural sa%natorium of
the United States, combining more nat
ural advantages than any other place in.
America. Her thermal waters are the
equal of the Hot Springs OF Arkansas,
while her climate Is infinitely superior.
is no malaria, no excessive heat or
cold, no gnats, rats or mosquitoes. The
air Is pure, dry, safifed, and highly cleo
trified-a certain cure for consumption, II
The disease be taken In time. The hot
waters are ~asspecific for liver, skin, rheu-
and blood disorders. Her Montezu-
hotel IL the finest hosiery between
Chicago and California, and Is situated in
] beautiful canyon, Eve miles from town,
where the Hot Springs, forty IN number,
come boiling to the surface.
The latitude Is about the same as that OF
Tennessee, while the altitudes is
nearly 6, 500 feet. This combination gives
/ peculiar, but most happy, result. In the
during the day, the Thermometer
falls, In the shade, below forty de-
yrees, while it often runs, in the sunshine,
o sixty-fve degrees-or even more. Tn
other hand, in the summer, the heat IS
,ever oppressive, IN the shade, and no
is too warm for comfortable sleep,
or two blankets. The sun will
Ihine nine days out of every ten, the year
'ound. This, with the extreme dryness of
he air, caused by the very slight precipi-
alton OF moisture; the r~esinous aroma, II
'oiiing down from the pine clad SmounNJ
aims; the large amount of electricity inl
w oAt aAA0 - NChoN40&Hs GOA tc1sc
ng from thealtitude; and the location Of the
own, land locked by mountain n mesa
all conspire to produce an atmOs-
mere which is q balm to all diseases of the
organs. The percentage of
leath from consumption is lower. in New
dexico than 1t is any where else in the
United States; n no other placetn New
iexico excels Las Vegas in the %salubrity
L Its climate. Asthmatics experience
immediate and permanent relief, in this
In the way of health and pleasure re-
orts, Las Vegas IL unrivaled. In a radius
I twenty miles, In romantic mouDtRiH
lens aud beside babbling mountain brooks,
re the Las Vegas Hot Springs. Harvey's,
Il Porvenir, Sandoval's Mineral Hill, Ro-
Zero Ranch, Blake's. Sparks, SapellO,
and other places, too Numerous
0 mention, where health can be recovered,
nd life becomes q pleasure to the ennuye,
be invalid, the over-worked business man.
LAS VEGAS has two daily and ave weekly
apers, three banks, two building and loan
three hotels. many boarding
ouses, nine churches, . number OF clubs,
all the leading civic and social socie-
les; a roller -four mill. capacity. fifty bar
els per day; two understanding establish
rents, cleaning 10000 pounds of wool
nnually; a well-equipped brewery and
establishment; q manufactory- of
,ineral and carbonated waters; two wag-
q and carriage factories; q saddle aud
arness factory; "a foundI.J. cleo
'ic light plant, three planning mills.
There are eight large Wholesale houses,
hose trade extends throughout the Ter
tory, and into the adjoining sections;
'hile the volume of this trade, and the
alue OF the stocks which they carry, can
OF be duplicated west Of Kansas City and
,uth Of Denver. Three merchants brok-
Is have selected the city as their distrib-
ting center, the amount Of their yearly
exceeding, In the aggregate, the COM
med sales OF all other such brokers In
ew Mexico. The retail merchants, OF
as Vegas, are more numerous, and carry
Irger and better stocks of goods than do
,e retail merchants OF any other town in
lis Territory or Arizona. II
LAS VEGAS is the distributing point for
early all New Mexico. By the Atchlson
7stem, she has connection with Kansas Il
, the east, Colorado on the north, Arizo-
D and California on the west, and Texas
al Old Mexico on the south. Besides
lese, she has more stage lines, connecting ,
er with, tributary territory, than has any !
her town in New Mexico. This territory {
lcludes the entire section east and south
the mopntains and comprises the counr
es OF. poIfax, Mnra Taos, bap MiEHei.
Fes CoCOrFO, Lynn Anns 0ten
hayes, Linceln and Eddy. with parts Of
and Rernaliilo-a country larger
all New Nnglsnd, This takes in the
Imous Valley ofthe Rio 0rande, aud the .
famous, but not less excellent, Valley !
the Pecos-the finest fruit sections Of
Ie west. Il
This Territory Is rich Ia everything that
institutes the Wealth Of Natians. Iron,
lead, silver, gold, mica, limestone,
Indstone, marbles, gypsum, o In end
Is variety and exhaustless quantities,
@ among the several products Of the