Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1896-04-18
THIS LOCALITY
Las Vegas, the Chief City
of New Mexico Some
of Her Resources,
Attractions and
Advantages.

nndpituntss
1t has water works, street cars, arc an
incandescent electric light plant. ~telephon
exchanges, Territorial agricultural exper
ment station, headquarters OF the Atchl
son railway system, New Mexico divisiod
together with railroad machine shops an
tie preserving works, stock yards, and til
largest sheep shearing and dipping plan
In the United States.
West of the river, the old town has th
quaint and picturesque Mexican appear
ance - adobe houses, narrow, CROOKED
streets, native people and customs, bandi
crafts and occupations; but the plaza ant
all of the new town, east Of the river, con
stitute q distinctive American city. Tit
streets are wide and well graded, Will,
sidewalks abound, shaded with growing
trees. Three parks, filed with grass ant
trees, add to the beauty and hsalthfulnes'
Of the place. Handsome and well f1lled
stores, beautiful residences, and innumera.
BILE lawns, set in grass and adorned with
shrubbery and flowers, combine to pro-
claim a cultured community, possessed Of
all modern comforts and convenlences.
A city hall, three public school buildings,
Courthouse, 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 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 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 s%anatorium Of
the United States, combining more nat
ural advantages than any other place 10
Her thermal waters are the
equal OF the Hot Springs of Arkansas,
while her climate il infinitely superior.
There is 10 malaria, no excessive heat or
cold, no gnats, rats or mosquitoes. The
air is pure, dry, rarifed, and highly cleo
tri1ed-a certain cure for consumption, IL
the disease be taken In time. The hot
" aters are q specific for liver, skin, rheu-
matte and blood disorders. Her Montezu-
hotel Is the finest hostelry between
Chicago and Califol mia, and is situated in
q 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
Tennessee, while the altitude is
nearly $500 feet. This combination gives
peculiar, but most happy, result. In the
during the day, the thermometer
seldom falls, In the shade, below forty de-
yrees, while it often runs, In the sunshine,
10 sixty-f1ve degrees-or even more. On
The other hand, in the summer, the heat is
never oppressive, in the shade, and no
night is too warm for comfortable sleep,
lnder n or two blankets. The sun will
shine nine days out Of every ten, the year
'ound. This, with the extreme dryness of
he air, caused by the very slight precipi-
of moisture; the resinous aroma,
down from the pine-clad noun
aims; the large amount of electricity In
he air, and the consequent ozone, result
ng from thealtitude; and the location of the
own, land-locked by mountain and mesa
all conspire to produce an atmos-
mere which Is q balm to all diseases Of the
organs. The percentage OF
leath from consumption is lower In New
than it is anywhere else in the
United States; and no other place in New
iexico excels Las Vegas in the ~salubrity
Il its climate. Asthmatics experience
immediate and permanent relief, in this
,ltitude.
In the way Of health and pleasure re-
orts, Las Vegas IL unrivaled. In q radius
Il twenty miles, In romantic mouptain
lens and beside babbling mountain brooks,
re the Las Vegas Hot Springs, Harvey's,
81 P%orvenir, S~andoval's Mineral Hill, Ro-
Ranch, Blake's, Sparks, Sapello,
tociada, n other places, too Numerous
o mention, where health can be recovered, |
md life becomes q pleasure to the ennuye,
he invalid, the over-worked business man.
LAS VEGAS has two daily and Ave weekly |
three banks, two building and loan
three hotels. many boarding
Houses, nine churches, a number OF clubs, |
nd all the leading civic and social socie-
las; a roller -four mill, capacity, fifty bar
els per day; two wool-sc0uring establish
nents, cleaning 1900, 900 pounds of wool
a well-equipped brewery and
establishment; a mandatory OF
N and carriage factories; a saddle and
Iarness factory; a foundry. cleo
rio light plant, three planning mills.
nd other enterprises of less importance.
There are eight large wholesale houses,
vhose trade extends throughout the Ter
itory, and into the adjoining sections;
vhile the volume Of this trade, and the
alue Of the stocks which they carry, can
ct be duplicated west Of Kansas City and
outh of Denver. Three merchants brok-
rs ave selected the city as their distrib-
ting center, the amount of their yearly
ales exceeding, In the aggregate, the som
ined sales Of all other such brokers in
lew Mexico. The retail merchants, of
.as Vegas, are more numerous, and carry
and better stocks Of goods than dol
be retail merchants OF any other town In
bis Territory or Arizona.
LAS VEGAS Is the distributing point for
early all New Mexico. By the Atchlson
ystem, she has connection with Kansas
n the east, Colorado on the north, Arizo-
O and California on the west, and Texas
Old Mexico on the south. Besides
hese, she has more stage lines, connecting
er with tributary territory, than has any
town In New Mexico. This territory
the entire section east and south
I the mountains, and comprises the coun-
les Of Colfax, Mora, Taos, San Miguel,
anita Fe Gocorro, Dona Ana, Grant.
,haves, Lincoln and Eddy, with parts Of
.ralencia and Bernalillo-a country larger
han all New England. This takes in the
amous Valley ofthe Rio Grande, and the
,ss famous, but not less excellent, Valley
I the Pecos-the finest fruit sections Of
he west.
This Territory is rich 10 everything that
institutes the Wealth Of Nations. Iron,
oal, lead, silver, gold, mica, limestone,
andstone. marbles, gypsum, soda in end
So variety and exhaustless quantities,
re among the several products Of the
ountry which Las Vegas commands.
'heep, cattle and lumber abound, so that
d each OF these prime articles of commerce
his city is the best market ia New Mexico.
In hondloo mira Unot than all tho othnct
in the Territory combined, while
er m in hides is truly enormous.
a the same way, she stands pre-eminent
Or her trade in grains, hay, vegetables,
other farm products; while her trade
o ice, gathered in the neighboriug noun
ain canyons, extends east into Kansas,
jato Arizona, and south into Old