Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1896-05-11
THIS LOCALITY
Las Vegas, the Chief City
OF New Mexico Some
Of Her Resources,
Attractions and
Advantages.

1t has water works, street cars, ere and
exchanges, Territorial agricultural expert
ment station, headquarters OF the Atchi-
son railway system, New Mexico division,
together with railroad machine shops aud
tic -preserving works. stock yards, aud tic
largest sheep shearing aud 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 PIAZZA and
all of the new town, east Of the river, con-
stitute a distinctive American city. The
streets are wide and well graded. while
| side walks abound. shaded with growing
trees. Three parks, flied with grass aud
tsees, add to the beauty and healthfalness
OF the place. Handsome and we'll filed
stores, beautiful residences, and innumera-
~shrubbery and flowers, combine to pro-
claim a cultured community, possessed Of
all modern comforts and coryenienees.
A city hall, three public school buildings,
court house, Masonic temple, opera house.
Territorial Normal school and Terrific, ial
Insane as, lum are public buildings, con.
structed of red and white cut sandstone,
unsurpassed in beauty by similar ediices
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
dergarfen, u commercial school ond two
music schools, besides several private teach
els. are among the educational advantages
and facilities.
Las VEGAS is the natural sane.orium of
the United States, combining moro nat
ural advantages than any other place in
America. Ter thermal wat, rs are the
equal. OF the Hot Springs OF Arkansas,
while her climate is Infinitely superior.
There is no malaria, no EXCESSIVE heat or
cold, 90 gaats, rats ur mosquitoes. The
ali is pure, dry, raritied, and highly elec-
triied-a certain cure for consum ptiop, Ii
the disease be taken In time. The hot
waters are q spec fc for liver, skin, rheu-
matte and blood disorders. Her Montezl-
ma hotel is the finest hosiery between
Chicago and Califoi mia, and is situated IN
a beautiful canyon, five miles from town,
where the Hot springs, forty in number,
come boiling to the surface.
Tue latitude ls about the same as that OF
central Tennessee. while the altitude is
nearly t, 800 feet. This combinatIon gives
a peculiar, bu. most happy, result. la the
winter, during the day, the Thermometer
.-f41e, f.1l. - .hn ch.An EaInuu f,rt = H,-
grees, w lille it often runs, In The sunshine,
TO sixty-ive degrees-or even more. On
the other hand, IN the summer the heat is
never oppressive, IN the shade, and no
night is too VAIN for comfortable sleep,
under one or two Blankets. The sun VIII
shine nine days out of every ten, the year
round. This, with the extreme dryuess Of
the air, caused by the very slight pTecipi-
tation of moisture; the resinous aroma,
rolling down from the pine-ciad noun
tains; the large amount of electricity in
the air, and the consequent ozone, result
iug from thealtitude; an0 the location Of the
to Hn, land-locked by mountain and mesa
ell conspire to produce an atmos-
pnere which is a balm to all diseases CT the
re spigatcry organs. The percentages OF
death from consumption is lower in New
Mexico than it is anywhere else in lite
United States; and no other place ia Ney.
Mexico excels Las Vegas In the saluhTlty
OF its climate. Asthmatics experience
immediate and permanent relief, in this
altitude.
In the way of health and pleasure re-
sorts, Las Vegas is uniivaled. In a radius
OF twenty miles, in romantic mountain
glens and beside battling mountain brooks,
are the Las Vegas Hot Springs, Harvey's,
El Forvenir, Ssndoval's Mineral Hill, Ro-
nero Ranch, Blake's, Sparks, Sapelo,
Rociada, and other places, too numerous
TO mention, where health can be recovered,
and life becomes a pleasure TO the enluye,
TIE invalid, the ovsr-worked business nun.
LAS VEGAS has W daily and i've weekly
papers, three banks, two building and loan
ass ociations, three hutels, many boarding
houses, nine churches, q number OF clubs,
and all the leading civic and social socie-
ties; a roller -four mill, capacity, fifty bar
rels per day two wool-scouring establish
meets, cleaning 1850, 600 pounds OF wool
annually a il-equipped brewery aud
b%ott'ing establishment: a manufoctory OF
mineral and earbonsted waters; two wag-
on and carriage factories; q saddle and
harness factory; n fouu6ty. cleo
trio light plant, three planning mills.
and other enterprises OF less Importance.
There ere eight large wholesale houses,
whose trade extends throughout the Ter
ritory, and into the adj dining sections
While the volume Of this trade, and the
value OK the stocks which they earry, can
not be duplicated west OF Kansas CITY and
soul OF Denver. Three merchant brok.
ers have selected the city as their dlstrib-
uting center, the amount of their yearly
sales exceeding, in the aggregate, the com
binad sales OF all Other such brokers 10
New Mexico. The retail merchants, of
Las Vegas, are more numerous, and carry
larger and better storks ofgoods than do
the retail merchants Of Rpy other town in
this Territory or ArizCla. as
Las VEGAS is the distributing point fer
neatly all New Mexico. By the Atctison
system, she has connection with Kansas
on the east, Colorado on the north, Ariz7-
na and California on the west, and Texas
ana Ola Mexico On .isAs south. Besides
these, she has more ste &c lines, connecting
her with tributary territory, than has any
other town in New Mexico. This territory
includes the entire section east and south
II the mountains, and comprises the cDun-
ties Of Colfax, Mora, Taos, San Miguel,
Santa Fe, Socorro, Dona Ana, Grant,
Chaves, Lincoln and Eddy, with parts OF
Valencia and Bernaliilo-a country larger
famous Valley ofthe Rio Grande, and the
less famous, but rot less excellent, Valley
of the Pecos-the finest fruit sections OK
the west.
This Territory Is rich III every thing that
constitutes the Wealth of Natl ma. Iron,
coal, lead, silver, gold, mic~, limestone,
sandstone. marbles, gypsum, soda in eud-
ess variety and exhaustless quantities,
arc auoug the several products Of tine
country which Las Vegas commands.
Sheep, cattle and lumber abound, SO that
In each of these prime articl S of
this city is the best market 10 New Mexico.
Ste handles more wool than all tho Other
towns la the Territory combined, while
her in hides is truly
In the same way, she stands pge-eminent
for her trace 10 grains, hay, Vegetables,
and other farm products; whi'e her trade
In ice, gathered IN the n~eighboriug noun
tain canyons, extends east into Kansas,