Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1896-04-06
THIS LOCALITY
Las Vegas, the Chief City
of New Mexic0--S0me
of Her Resources,
Attractions and
Advantages.

lies on both sides OF the Gallinas 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 the
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 we'll graded, while
| sidewalks abound. shaded with growing
trees. Three parks, filed with grass and
trees, add to the beauty and healthfnlness
of the place. Handsome and well-hlled
| stores, beautiful residences, and innumera-
| BILE lawns, set in grass and adorned with
s~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
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
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 enats, rats or mosquitoes. The
air is pure, dry, rarifed, and highly cleo
tri6ed-a certain cure for consumption, II
the disease be taken In time. Inc not
waters are q specific for liver, kin rbeu-
matte 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 IS about the same as that OF
central Tennessee, while, the altitude is
nearly $500 feet. This combination gives
L.k ~roct honpu raan1t In the
winter, during the day, the thermometer
| seldom falls, In the shade, below forty de-
prees. while it often runs, In the sunshine,
10 sixty-hve degrees-Or even more. On
the other hand, in the summer the heat is
never oppressive, IN Che shade. and no
night is too warm for comfortable sleep,
under one or two blankets. The sun will
shine nine days out of every ten, the year
ronnd. 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 y
the air. and the consequent ozone, result
ing from thealtitude; and the location OF tht
town. land locked by mountain and mest
these all conspire to produce an atmos-
mere which is q balm to all diseases OF the
, respiratory organs. The percentage o
death from consumption is lower In NE"
Mexico thar it is anywhere else in tn
1 tInlLeu 0Jal IL LIZ
7 Mexico excels Las Vegas in the salubritl
, Of its climate. Asthmatics experience
immediate and permanent relief, in TIL
altitude.
In the way OF health and pleasure re
| sorts, Las Vegas IL unrivaled. In Q raolu
or twenty miles, in romantic mountain
olens and beside babbling mountain brooks
are the Las Vegas Hot Springs, Harvey's
: nj Porvenir, Sandoval's Mineral Hill, II
nero Ranch, Blake's, Sparks, Sapeile
Rociada, and other places, too ndnerou
10 mention, where health can be recovered
and life becomes a pleasure TO the ennuye
d the invalid, the over-worked business maI
LAS VEGAS has two daily and dive week.
napers. three banks, two building and loa
associations, three hotels, many boardin
houses. nine churches, a number OF club
@ and all the leading civic and social socle
ties; q roller -four mill, capacity, fifty bar
rels per day :. two wool-scouring establish
ments. cleaning 1,5OO,O 900 pounds of wot
annually; a we'll equipped brewery an
h bottling establishment; a mandatory {
II mineral and carbonated waters; two WAC
on and carriage factories; a saddle an
harness factory; "a foundIy. eiee
trio light plant, three planning mll'
IS There are eight large Wholesale house
10 whose trade extends throughout the Tel
80 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
ID south Of Denver. Three merchants proi
ers have selected the city as their distrii
= utipg center, the amount of their year
sales exceeding, in the aggregate, the con
le hined sales of all other such brokers
70 New Mexico. The retail merchants,
= Las Vegas, are more numerous, carr
larger and better stocks OF goods than {
the retail merchants OF any other town
OF 1 ,. 81 n---sk.rrv - A rfvnnn NsFsI
n. LAS VEGAS is the distributing point 4
nearly all New Mexico. By the Atchlst
system. she has connection with Kans
IN the east, Colorado on the north, Ariz
I'D ma and California on the west. and rex
ct and Old Mexico on the south. besid
IL these, she has more stage lines, connecti'
~ her with tributary territory, than has al
n i other town In New Mexico. This territol
Includes the entire section east and sou
of the mountains, and comprises the cou
r.. ties Of CoIfax, Mora, Taos, San Migu'
10 Santa Fe, Socorro, Dona Ana, Graz
Cbaves, Lincoln and Eddy, with parts
Valencia and Bernalillo-a country larg
than ali New England. This takes In t
nd famous Valley ofthe Rio Grande, and t
=. less famous, but not less excellent, Vail
$50 of the Pecos-the finest fruit sections
in This Territory is rich in everything th
constitutes the Wealth OF Nations. Ire
coal, lead, silver, gold, mica, limestoi
sandstone, marbles, gypsum, soda in en-
los ess variety and exhaustless quantitie
at are among the several products OF I
country which Las Vegas comman
Sheen. cattle and lumber abound, SO Il
= in each OF these prime articles Of CONNIE
= this city Is the best market 10 New Mexi
SIZE handles more wool than all the OIL
Il towns in the Territory combined, VT
. her In hides is truly enormo
lin the same way, she stands pre-emin,