Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1896-06-20
THIS LOCALITY
Las Vegas, the Chief City
of New Mexico--Some
of Her Resources,
Attractions and
Advantages.

inhabitants.
1t has water works, street cars, arc ant
incandescent electric light plant, telephone
exchanges, Territorial agricultural expert
ment station, headquarters of the Atchi-
son railway system, New Mexico division
together with railroad machine shops and
tie preserving works, stock yards, and the
largest sheep shearing and dipping plant
in the United States.
West of the river, the old town has the
quaint and picturesque Mexican appear
ance ~ adobe houses, narrow, crooked
streets, native people and customs, handi-
crafts and occupations; but the plaza aud
all of the new town, east Of the river, con
stitute a distinctive American city. The
streets are wide and we'll graded, while
sidewalks abound. shaded with growing
trees. Three parks, filed with grass ard
trees, add to the beauty and healthfulness
Of the place. Handsome and filed
stores, beautiful residences, aud innumera-
BILE la set in grass ard 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 two
music schools, besides several private teach
eIs, are among the educational advantages
and facilities. III
LAS VEGAS is the natural sanatorium Of
the United States, combining more nat
ural advantages than any other place 10
America. Her thermal waters are the
equal OF tho Hot Springs OF Arkansas,
while her climate is infinitely superior.
There is no malaria, no excessive heat or
cold, no gnats, rats or mosquitoes. The
air is pure, dry, rarified, and highly cleo
trified-a certain cure for consumption, If
the disease be taken In time. The hot
waters are a specific for liver, skin, rheu.
LII u i4OOo . taOAos 14CA
ma hotel is the finest hosiery between
Chicago aud Cal;for MIA, aud is situated in
Il beautiful canyon, five miles from town,
who're 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
winter, during the day, the thermometer
seldom falls, 10 the shade, below forty de-
grees, while it often runs, in the sunshine,
TO sixty-fve degrees-or ever more. On
the other hand, in the summer, the heat is
nevor oppressive, In the shade, and no
night is too warm for comfortable sleep,
under one or two blankets. The sun viii
shine nine days out Of every ten, the year
round. This, with the extreme dryness of
the air, caused by the very slight precipi.
tation 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
all c%onspire to produce an atmos-
pnere which is q balm to all diseases OF the
respiratory organs. The percentage of
death from consumption is lower In NeW
Mexico than it is any " here else in the
United States; and no other place 10 New
Mexico exceis Las Vegas in the salubrity
of its climate. Asthmatics experience
immediate and permanent relief, in this
altitude.
In the way of nealth and pleasure re-
sorts, Las Vegas il unrivaled. In a radius
OF twenty miles, in romantic mountain
giens and beside babbling mountain brooks,
are the Las Vegas Hot Springs, Harvey's,
Ell Porvenir, Sandoval's Mineral Hill, R0-
nero Ranch, Blake's, Sparks, Sapello,
Rociada, and other places, too Numerous
TO mention, where health can be recovered,
and life becomes a pleasure to the enDuye,
the invalid, the over-worked business man.
LAS VEGAS has two daily and i've weekly
papers, three banks, two building and loan
associations. three hotels. many boarding
nine churches, a number of clubs,
and all the leading civic and social socie-
ties; a roller -four mill, capacity, fifty bar
per day two wool-scouring establish
cleaning 1,500,0 900 pounds Of wool
annually; a w~ell-equipped brewery and
establishments; a mandatory of
and carbonated waters; two wag-
and carriage factories; a saddle and
factory; a ~foundr,. cleo
trio light plant, three planning mills.
and other enterprises of less Importance.
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
south of Denver. Three merchants brok.
srs have selected the city as their distrib-
lting c~enter, the amount of their yearly |
sales exceeding, in the aggregate, the com
oined Gales Of all other such brokers in
New Mexico. The retail merchants, of
Vegas, are more numerous, and carry
and better stocks OF goods than do
5he retail merchants OF any other town in
his Territory or Arizona.
LAS VEGAS is the distributing point for
nearly all New Mexico. By the Atchlson
system. she has connection with Kansas
N the east, Colorado on the north, Arizo-
ia and California on the west, and Texas
Old Mexico on the sonth. Besides
she has more stage lines, connecting
,er with tributary territory, than has any
,ther town in New Mexico. This territory
the entire section east and south
If the mountains, and comprises the coun-
of Colfax, Mora, Taos, San Miguel,
Santa Fs, Socorro, Dona Ans, Grant,
Chaves, Lincoln and Eddy, with parts OF
Valencia and Bernalillo-a country larger
han ell New England. This takes in the
Valley ofthe Rio Grande, and the
ess famous, but not less excellent, Valley
the Pecos-the finest fruit sections Of
he west.
'rhis Territory is rich in everything that
tho Wealth of Natl ms. Iron,
,oal, lead, silver, gold, mics, limestone,
sandstone. marbles, gypsum, soda in end
,ss variety and exhanstless quantities,
ire among the several products Of the
which La Vegas commands.
Sheep, cattle and lumber abound, so that
n each OF these prime articles of commerce
city Is the best market in New Mexico.
She handles more wool than all the other
10 the Territory combined, while
,er In hides is truly enormous.
10 the same way, she stands pre-eminent
or her treoe in grains, hay, vegetables,
and other farm products; while her trade
% ice, gathered in the neighboriug noun
canyons, extends east into Kansas,
jato ARIZONA, and south into Old