Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1896-06-01
This LOCALITY
Las Vegas, the Chief CITY
OF New Mexico--Some
of Her Resources,
Attractions and
Advantages.

80 'FE* wv kVdhV
lies or beth sides OK the G;aii,ttuas riv.l
end, with its suburbs, has about 1906
Inhabitants.
1t has water works, street cars, arc an
incandescent electric light plant, telephon
exchanges, Territorial agricultural exper
nent station, headquarters of the Atchi
son railway system, New Mexico division
together with railroad machine shops an,
tie preserving works, stock yards, and tn,
largest sheep shearing and dipping plan
In the United States.
West of the river, the old town has tn,
quaint ard 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 o distinctive American city. The
streets are wide and well graded, while
sidewalks abound. shpdsd with growing
trees. Three parks, flied with grass and
trees, add to the beauty and healthfulness
of the place. Handsome and we'll filled
stores, beautiful residences, and innumprq,
BILE lawns, set IN grass ARD adorned with
shrubbery and flowers, combine to pro-
claim a cultured community, possessed OF
all modern comforts aud copycpiences,
A city hall, tbFep public scAeol buildings,
court house, Masonic temple, opera house,
Territorial Normal school and Territorial
Insane as, lum ara public buildings, con-
structed Of red and white cut ssndstol o,
unsurpassed in beauty by similar edilces
in any town, Of equal size, in the States
An Academy, Seminary, Jesuit collage,
Convent school, Presbyterian Mission
sci DOL, Methodist manual training school,
CT rIstian Brothers, institute, city high
school, three graded public schools, a kim
dergbrten, a commercial school and two
music schools, besides several private teach
ers, are among the edgcatiQnal adyantagea
and fsetlitias,
LAS VEGAS is the natural sanatorium of
the United States, combining more nat
ural advantages than any other place in
America. Her thermal watsrs are the
equal of he Hot Springs of Arkansas,
while her climate is infinitely superior,
There is no malaria, no excessive heat CIR
GELD, no gAats, rats OF mosquitoes. The
air is pure, dry, rarifed, and highly cleo
triied-a certain cure for consumption, il
the disease be taken In time, The hot
waters are 0 specific for liver, skin, rheu.
matte and blood disorders. Her Mortezu-
ma hotel is the finest hostelry between
Chicago and Califoi mia. and Is situated 10
d beautiful canyon, Ave miles from town,
where the Ho 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
., Rsssrli Ig, bgs no. nest harry, result; Ia the {.
seldom falls, 10 the shade, below forty de-
grees, while it often runs, In the sunshine,
to sixty five degrees--or even more. On
the other hand, In the summer, the heat is
never oppressive, IN the shade, and nc
night is too warm for comfortable sleep,
under one or two blankets. The sun will
round. This, with the extreme drynesS Of
the cir, Gagged by the very slight pseoipi-
staticp 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 theaititude; and the location CT the
town, land locked by mountain and mesa
these all ccnspire to produce an etmoss
phere WHICH is . balm to al diseases Of the
respiratory organs. The percentage of
death from consumption is lower In New
Mexico than it is anywhere else IN the
United States; aud no other place 10 New
Mexico excels Las Vegas In the salubrlty
OF its climate. Asthmatics experience
immediate and permanent relief, in this
altitude.
In the way Of health and pleasure res
sorts, Las Vegas " unrtyalel. In a radius
OF twenty miles, in romantic mountain
-glens and beside tabblicg mountain brooks,
are the Las Vegas Hot Springs. Harvey's,
Ell Porvenir, Sandoval's Mineral Hill, Ro-
nero Ranch, Blake's, Sparks, Sapello,
Rociada, and other places, too Numerous
and life be comes q pleasure to the annuye,
the invalid, the ovtr-worked business man.
LAS VEGAS bias two daily and Ave weekly
papers, three banks, two tuilding and loan
asEociations, three hotels. many boarding
houses, nine churches, q number OF clubs,
aud all the leeding civic and SOCIAL socis-
ties a roller hopr mill, capacity. fifty bar
ments, cleaning 1900, 900 pounds of wool
annually; a we'll equipped brewery and
bottling ablishment; a mandatory OF
mineral and carbonated waters; two wag-
on aud carriage factories; q saddle and
harness factory; q foundry. cleo
trio light plant, three planning mills.
and other enterprises Of less importance.
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 the
value of the stocks which they carry, can
not be duplicated west Of Kansas City and
south Of Denver. Three merchant brok-
ers have selected the city as their distrib-
utipg center, the amount of their yearly
sales exceedIng,in the aggregate, the com
bined sales of all other such brokers In
Nauu Nfa~ion THO ratan unarchonto af
Las Vegas, are more numerous, and carry |
and better stocks Of goods than do
the retail merchants OF any other town In
this Territory or Arizona.
LAS VEGAS is the distributing point for
nearly all New Mexico. By the Atchlson
she has connection with Kansas
on the eest, Colorado on the north, Arizo-
ma and California on the west, and Texas
AMI Old Mexico en- the south. Besides
she has more stage lines, connecting
her with tributary territory, than has any
other town in New Mexico. This territory
the entii section east and south
IF the mountains, and comprises the coun-
of Colfsx, Mora, Taos, San Miguel,
Santa Fe, Socorro, Dona Ana, Grant.
Valencia and Bernalillo-a country larger
than all New England. This takes in the
Valley ofthe Rio Grande, and the
famous, but not less excellent, Valley
,f the Pecos-the finest fruit sections Of
tbe west.
This Territory is rich 10 everything that
the Wealth Of Nations. Iron,
,oal, lead, silver, gold, mica, limestone,
sandstone, marbles, gypsum, soda In end
,ss variety and exhaustless quantities,
ire among the severed products of the
country which Las Vegas commands.
sheep. cattle and lumber abound, so that
n each OF these prime articles of commerce
city IL the best market 10 New Mexico.
Sue handles more wool than all the other
owns in the Territory combined, while
Ter Ia hides is truly enormous.
"a the same way, she stands ~pre-eminent
or her trade 10 eraips, hay. vegetables,