Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1896-05-18
'9HlS LOCALITY
Las Vegas, the Chief City
of New Mexico Some
of Her Resources,
Attractions and
Advantages.

lies on both sides or the Galltnas river
and, with its suburbs, has about 10000
inhabitants.
1t has water works, street cars, arc anc
~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-
stirute q 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 healthfulness
Of the place. Handsome and we'll filled
stores, beautiful residences, and innumera-
BILE lawns, set in grass and adorned with
shrubbery aud 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 asy lum are public buildings, con-
structed of red and white cut sandstone,
unsurpassed in beauty by similar edifces
l., 49, 1xn m a,.ol o;,a in tho Gkotoo
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
dergarten, a commercial school and two
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
Amegica. 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
VI W. a0ta - " SOhbab ROtohs II
the disease he taken In time. The hot
waters are a specific for liver. skin, rheu-
matte and blood disorders. Her Mootezu-
ma hotel is the finest hostelry 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.
The latitude Is about the same as that OF
central Tennessee. while the altitude is
nearly $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 runs, in the sunshine,
to sixty-hve 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,
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,
rolling down from the pine-cIad noun
tains; the large amount of electricity in
the air, and the consequent ozone, result
ing from thealtitude; and the location 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
organs. The percentage Of
death from consumption is lower 10 New
Mexico than it is anywhere else in the
States; and no other place In New
Mexico excels Las Vegas in the salubrIty
OF it's climate. Asthmatics experience
ard permanent relief, in this
In the way Of health and pleasure re-
Las Vegasis u%nrivaled. In a radius
OF twenty miles, in romantic mountain
and beside babbling mountain brooks,
are the Las Vegas Hot Springs, Harvey's,
Ell Porvenir, S~andoval's Mineral Hill, Ro-
nero Rahch, Blake's, Sparks, Sapeilo,
Rociada, and other places, too Numerous
to mention, where health can be recovered, |
and life become a pleasure to the ennuye,
the invalid, the over-worked business man.
LAS VEGAS has two daily and 1--we weekly
papers, three banks. two building and loan
associations, three hotels, many boarding
houses, nine churches, a number OF clubs,
aud all the leading civic and social socie-
tiss; a roller -four mill, capacity, fifty bar
rels per day two wool-scouring establish
cleaning 1900, 900 pounds of wool
annually; a we'll equipped brewery and
establishments a manufactcry of
and carbonated waters; two wag-
On and carriage factoriesi a saddle and
harness factory; a foundiJ. cleo
and other enterprises of less Importance.
whose trade extends throughout the Ter
-itory, and into the adjoining se~ctions
while the volume of this trade, and the
value of the stocks which they carry, can
aot be duplicated west of Kansas City and
south of Denver. Three merchants brok-
,rs nave selected the city as their distrib-
lting center, the amount of their yearly
,ales exceeding, In the aggregate, the com.
sales of all other such brokers in
New Mexico. The retail merchants, of
Las Vegas, are more numerous, and carry
anger and better stocks Of goods b do
,he retail merchants of any other town in
Territory or Arizona.
LAS VEGAS is the distributing point for
nearly all New Mexico. BY the Atchlson
she has connection with Kansas
,n the east, Colorado on the north, Arizo-
IA and California on the west, and Texas
and Old Mexico on the south. Besides
5hese, she has more stage lines, connecting
ner with tributary territory, than has any
,ther town in New Mexico. This territory
If the mountains, and comprises the coun-
Of Colfnx, Mora, Taos, San Miguel,
Santa Fe, Socorro, Dona Ana, Grant,
Chaves, Lincoln and Eddy, with parts of
Valencia and Bernaliilo--a country larger
han all New England. This takes in the
Valley ofthe Rio Grande, n the
ess famous, but not less excellent, Valley /
If the Pecos-the finest fruit sections Of
The west.
This Territory Is rich 10 everything tina. !
the Wealth of Natl ms. Iron,
,oal, lead, silver, gold, mica, limestone, I
'andstone. marbles, gypsum, soda in end
,ss variety and exhaustless quantities,
ire among the several products OF the .
country which Las Vegas commands.
Sheep, cattle and lumber abound, SO that
n each of these prime articles of
his city is the best market ia New Mexico.
Sue handles more wool han all the other
owns in the Territory combined, while
Ter 10 hides is truly enormous.
% the same way, she stands pre-eminent
or her trace in grains, hay, vegetables,
md other farm products; while her trade
o ice. gathered In the ~neighboring noun
canyons, extends east into Kansas, !
vest jato Arizona, and south into Old