Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1896-04-09
LOCALITY
Las Vegas, the Chief City
Of New Mexic0--S0me
of Her Resources,
Attractions and
Advantages.

It
LAS VEGAS, meaning "Ths Meadows
is the county seat of San Miguel county
lies on both sides Of the Galiinas river,
and, with its suburbs, has about 10000
inhabitants.
1t has water works, street cars, arc and
~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 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 a 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 welt-flled
stores, beautiful residences, and innumera-
BILE lawns, set In grass and adorned with
s%hrnbbery 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 edifces
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
ers. are among the educational advantages
and facilities.
LAS VEGAS is the natural sanatorium of
the United States, combining more nat
ural advantages than any other place In
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, r%ariied, 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, rbeu-
and blood disorders. Her Montezu-
ma hotel is the finest h~ostelry 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 ls about the same as that OF
Tennessee, while the altitude is
$500 feet. This combination gives
a peculiar, but most happy, result. In the
during the day, the thermometer
seldom falls, 10 the shade, below forty de-
grees, while it often runs, in the sunshine,
to sixty-tive degrees-0r even more. On
the other hand, in the summer, the heat is
never oppressive, in the shade, and no
is too warm for comfortable sleep,
under one or two blankets. The sun will
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,
down from the pine-clad noun
tains; the large amount of electricity in
the air, and the consequent ozone, result
ILL lIOIu buCdlbItuucs huu uuC lOCutlOu VI buC
town, land locked bysmonntain and mesa
all conspire to produce ar atmos-
phere which is q balm to all diseases of the
organ The percentage OF
death from consumption is lower In New
than it is anywhere else in the
States; and no other place 10 New
Mexico excels Las Vegas in the ~salubrity
Of its climate. Asthmatics experience
and permanent relief, in this
In the way OF health and pleasure re-
sorts, Las Vegas IL unrivaleu. In a radius
Of twenty miles, In romantic mountain
glens and beside babbling mountain brooks,
are the Las Vegas Hot Springs, Harvey's,
Ell Poryenir, Sandoval's Mineral Hill, Ro-
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 ennuye, |
the invalid, the over-worked business man.
LAS VEGAS has two daily and Ave weekly
papers, three banks, two building and loan
associations, three hotels. many boarding
houses, nine churches, a number OF clubs,
and all the leading civic n social socie-
ties; a roller Hour mill, capacity, fifty bar
rels per day two wool-scouring establish
cleaning 100000 pounds Of wool
annually; a well equipped brewery and
bottling establishments; a mandatory OF
mineral and carbonated waters; two wag-
on and carriage factories; a saddle and
factory; "a foundry. 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
Of Denver. Three merchants brok-
srs lave selected the city as their distrib-
ating center, the mount 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
the retail merchants OF any other town in
this Territory or Arizona.
LAS VEGAS is the distributing point for
all New Mexico. By the Atchlson
she has connection with Kansas
On the east, Colorado on the north, Arizo-
IA and California on the west, and Texas
and Old Mexico on the south. Besides
these, she has more stage lines, connecting
her with tributary territory, than has any
other town in New Mexico. This territory
Includes the entire section east and south
ties Of Colfax, Mora, Taos, San Miguel,
Santa Fe, Socorro, Dona Ana, Grant,
.haves, Lincoln and Eddy, with parts of
Valencia and Bernalillo-a country larger
than all New England. This takes In the
ramous Valley ofthe Rio Grande, and the
famous, but not less excellent, Valley
the Pecos-the finest fruit sections OF
The west.
This Territory is rich In everything that
constitutes the Wealth Of Nations. Iron,
coal, lead, silver, gold, mica, limestone,
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