Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1896-06-02
THIS LOCALITY
Las Vegas, the Chief City
of New Mexico
of Her Resources,
Attractions and
Advantages.

LAS VEGAS, meaning "The Mcadows,",
Is the county seat of San Miguel county,
lies on both sides of the Gallinas river,
and, with its suburbs, has about 10000
inhabitants.
1t has water works, street cars, arc and
incandescen electric light plant, telephone
exchanges, Territorial agricultural export
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
anco - 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 a distinctive American city. The
streets are wide and well graded, while
sidewalks abound, shaded with growing
trees. Three parks, filled with grass and
trees, add to the beauty and healthfulness
Of the place. Handsome and well filed
stores, beautiful residences, and innumera-
BILE lawns, set in grass and adorned with
shrubbery and flowers, combine to pro-
claim a cultured community, possessed OF
oil 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 edi6ces
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 kim
dergarten, a commercial school and two
music schools, besides several private teach
ers, are among the educational advantages
and facilities.
LAS VEGAS ia the natural sanetorium 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.
There is no malaria, no excessive heat or
cold, no gnats, rats or mosquitoes. The
air Is pure, dry, rarified, and highly cleo
trifed-a certain cure for consumption, IL
the disease be taken in time. The hot
waters are q specific for liver. skin, rheu-
matte and blood disorders. Her MonteSu-
ma hotel Is the finest hostelry between
| Chicago and California, 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 givei
a peculiar, but most happy, result. In the
winter, during the day, the thermomstel
seldom falls, in the shade, below forty de
grees, while it often runs, In the sunshine
10 sixty five degrees-or even more. Vi
the other hand, In the summer, the heat |
never oppressive, IN the shade, and NJ
night is too warm for comfortable sloep
under one or two BLANKETS. The sun vii
shine nine days out of every ten, the yea
round. This, with the extreme dryness o
the air, caused by the very slight precipt
tation of moisture; the resInous aroma
rolling down from the pine-clad noun
talns; the large amount of electricity II
tho air, and the consequent ozone, result
ing from thealtitude; and the location or tht
town, land-looked by mountain and mess
these all conspire to produce an atmos-
phere which Is q balm to all diseases OF the
Respiratory organs. The percentage o.
death from consumption is lower In New
Mexico than it is anywhere else In the
United States; and no other place 10 New
Mexico excels Las Vegas 10 the salGbrity
OF its climate. A~sthrnat'os experience
Immediate and permanent relief, in thi'
altitude.
sorts, Las Vegas il unrivaled. In a radiu'
OF twenty miles, in romantic mountain
| elens and beside Labhling mountain brooks
are tho Las Vegas Hot Springs, Harvey's
Ell P~orvenir, Sandoval's Mineral Hill, Ro
nero Ranch, Blake's, Sparks, Sapello
Rociada, and other places, too ndEer9q
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 dive weekly
papers, three banks, two building and loan
associations, three hotels. many boarding
houses, nine churches, q number OF clubs
aud ali the leading civic and social socie
ties; a roller -four mill, capacity, nity par
rels per day two Woodworking establish
ments, cleaning 100000 pounds Of WOO
annually a we'll equipped brewery AM
bottiing establishment; a manpfactory o
mineral and uarbonatsd waters; two wag
on and carriage factories; a saddle AM
harness factory; q foundry. eisc
trio light plant, three planning miiis
1 ana OJQRI tutCI - ~ 4RHo
There are eight large Wholesale houses
whose trade extends throughout the Ter
ritory. and into the adjoining sections
while the volume of this trade, and tn
value of the stocks which they carry, ca
not be duplicated west of Kansas City an
south of Denver. Three merchants bTok
ers have selected the city as their distrib
uting center, the amount OF their year,
sales exceeding, in the aggregate, the com
bined sales OF all other such brokers l
New Mexico. The retail merchants, Q
Las Vegas, are more numerous, n carr
larger and better stocks OF goods thar d
the retail merchants OF any other 20 l
this Territory or Arizona.
LAS VEGAS Is the distributing point 10
nearly all New Mexico. By the Atchlso
system. she has connection with kansa
o. the est, Colorado on the north, Arizo
ma and California on the west, and Texa
ami Old Mexico on the south. Beside
these. she has more stage lines, ~counect1n
her with tributary territory, than has an
other town 10 New Mexico. This territor
includes the entire section east spd sout
of the mountains, and comprises the coun
ties Of Lolfsx, Mora, Taos, San Migue
Santa Fe, Socorro, Dpna Ana, Gran
Cbayes, Lincoln and Eddy. with parts
Valencia and Bernalillo-a country large
then all New England. This takes In Il
famous Valley ofthe Rio grande, and IL
less famous, but not less excellent, Vale
Of the Peeos-the finest fruit sections
!, the west.
d This Territory Is rich In everything thu
constitutes the Wealth Of Nations. lrol
coal, lead, silver, gold, mica, limeston
= sandstone. marbles, gypsum, soda n ens