Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1896-12-05
Las Vegas, the Chief City
Of New Mexico--Some
of Her Resources,
Attractions and
Advantages.


ment station, headquarters of the Atchi-
son railway system, New Mexico division,
together with rsilroad 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 aud 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, flled with grass and
trees, add to the beauty and healthfulness
of the place. Handsome and we'll filed
stores, beautiful residences, and innumera
tile lawns. set in grass and adorned with
.hrubbery 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
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
-Lz.t sk.~~ ..u.I.J r,bIf. .nh1olo N Lfr
dergarten, a commercial scbool and two
music schools, besides several private teach
ers. are among the educational advantages
aud 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
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
trified-a certain cure for consumption, Ii
the disease be taken In time. The hot
waters are a specific for liver, skin, rneu-
matte and blood disorders. Her MonteZu-
ma hotel Is the finest h~ostelry between
Chicago ana Cal:fof mia. aud is situated in
q beautiful canyon, five miles from town,
wnere 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 6. 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 RUS; in the sunshice,
TO six Y Live degrees-or e,en more. On
the other hand, in the u mer The heat is
never oppressive, in the shade, and no
nigot is too warm for comfortable sleep,
under one or two blankets. The san will
shine nine days out of every ten, the year
round. This. with the extreme dryness of
the air, caused by the very slight p ecipi-
tation of moisture; the resinous aroma,
rolling down from the pine-ciad noun
tains; the large amount of elect. lefty In
the air, and the consequent ozone, result
ing from thealtitude; and tre locat on of the
town, land-locked by mountain and mesa
these all conspire to produce an atmos-
phere which is a balm to all diseases of the
respiratory organs The percentage of
death from consumption is lower In New
Mexico than 1t is any where else In the
United States; and no other place in New
Mexico excels Las Vegas i'll the %salUbrlIy
of its climate. Astnmatics experience
immediate and permanent relief, in this
altitude.
in the way of health and pleasure re-
sorts, Las Vegas Ia unrivaled. In a radius
of twenty miles, In romantic mountain
glens and beside babbling mountain brooks,
are the Las Vegas Hot Springs, Harve ' 8,
e. PorveniI, Sandoval's Mineral f i'll, E.o-
nero Ranch Blake's, SpaIks', t.epei-o
Roc ada, and other places, too ramero-s
to men io1, where health can be recove. ed,
and life becomes a pleasure to the ennuve,
the invalid, tie over-wo ked bus 1881 ra1.
LAS VEGAS has two daily and ave weekly
papers. th zee banks, two br'Iding q d 'oa1
associations, fhiee hotels, many boarding
houses, nm churches. a. number of cubs,
and al the lead ng civic and social soc'e-
tiss; a Iol'ef four mil. capacity, fly b-r-
rels pc day; two wool couring establish
annuellv; a we'll equipped brewery and
establishments; a manufecto. v of.
m'ne al and carbonated waters; two wag-
and carriage factories; a saddle ard
factory; q foundI cleo
trio light plant, three planning mills.
and other Enterprises of less Importance.
There are eight large wholesale houses,
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
Gales of all other such brokers In
New Mexico. The retail merchants, of
Las Vegas, are more numerous, and carry
and better storks 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 |
system. she has connection with Kansas
On the east, Colorado on the north, Arizo-
IA and California on the west, and Texas
Old Mexico on the south. Besides
she has more stage lines, connecting
Ter with tributary territory, than has any
,ther town in New Mexico. This territory
includes the entire section east and south
II the mountains, and comprises the coun-
les of Colfax, Mora, Taos, San Miguel,
Fe, Socorro, Dona Ana, Grant.
Jhaves, Lincoln and Eddy. with parts of
Valencia and BernalilloEa country larger
han all New England. This takes in the
ess famous, but not less excellent, Valley
Il the Pecos-the finest fruit sections of
be west.
This Territory is rich In everything that
the Wealth of Nations. Iron,
oal, lead, silver, gold, mics, limestone,
andstone. marbles, gypsum, soda in end
So variety and exhapstless quantities,
re among the several products of the
ountry which Las Vegas commands.
'beep, cattle and lumber abound, so that
D each of these prime articles of commerce
city is the best market in New Mexico.
HE handles more wool than all the other
owns 10 the Territory combined, while
er 10 hides is truly enormous.
n the same way, she stands prc-eminent
her trace In grains, hay, vegetables,
other farm products: while her trade
, ice. gathered in the ~neighboriug noun
lin canvops extends east into Kansas,
est iato Arizona, and south into Old
!,