Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1896-06-05
THIS LOCALITY
Las Vegas, the Chief City
of New Mexico Some
of Her Resources,
Attractions and
Advantages.

III mas water works, street cars, arc an
~incandescent electric light plant, telephon
exchanges, Territorial agricultural exper
ment station, headquarters OF the AtchI
son railway system, New Mexico divisiof
together with railroad machine shops an
representing works, stock yards, and til
largest sheep shoaring and dipping plan
In the United States.
West of the river, the old town has tb
quaint and picturesque Mexican appear
ance adobe houses, narrow, crooket
streets, native people and customs, handl.
crafts and occupations; but the plaza ant
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, flied 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 AID adorned with
%shrubbery and flowers, combine to pro-
claim a cultured community, possessed of
all modern comforts and conveniences.
A city hall, three pubic school buildings,
court house, Ma onic temple, opera house,
Territorial Normal school and. Territorial
Insane asylum are public buildings, con-
structed Of red inc white cut sandstone,
unsurpassed in beauty by similar edifcss
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
dersarten, o commercial schpol 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 10
America, Her thermal wat rs are the
equal OF tho Hot Springs Of Arkansas,
while her climate is inGnitelv superior.
There Is no malaria, no excessive heat or
cold, nc gnsts, rats or mosquitoes. The
air is pure, dry, rarifed, and highly cleo
trified-a certain cure for consumption, IL
the disease be taken In time. The hot
waters are a specific for liver, skin, rheu-
mG.ic ard blood disorders. Her Mootezu-
ma hote! Is the finest hostelrY between
Chicago and California, and Is situated in
a beautiful canyon, Ave 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 "a ost happy, result. In the
winter, during the day, the thermometer
seldom falls, 10 the shade, below forty do
glees, while it often rune, in the sunshine,
On n - Hro n n ~ 49, 5000 VI ~
the other hand, in the summer, the heat is
never oppressive. IN the shade, and no
night is too warm for comfortable sleep.
under che 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 resiDous aroma,
rolling down from the pine-olnd noun
taiDs; the large amount of electricity in
the air, and tho consequent ozone, result
ing from thealtitude; and toe location OF the
town, lGndvlocked by mountain and mesa
these all conspire to produce an atmos-
pnere which 10 a balm to all diseases of the |
respiratory organs. The percentage OF
death from consumption is lower in New
Mexico than it is any where else in the
United States; and no other place in New
Mexico excels Las Vegas in the salubrIty
OF its climate. Asthmat:cs experience
immediate and permanent relief, in this
altitude,
In The way Of health and pleasure re-
sorts, Las Vegas ii unrivaled. In q radius
OF twenty miles, 10 romantic mountain
glens and beside tabtliug mountain brooks,
are the Las Vegas Hot Springs, Harvey's,
Ell Porvenir, Ssndovsl's Mineral Hill, Ro-
nero Ranch, Blnke's. Sparks, Sapello,
Rociada, and other Places, too Numerous
TO mention, where health can be recovered,
life becomes a pleasure to tho ennuye
the invalid, the ov-r-worked business man.
LAS VEGAS has two daily and ave weekly
papers, three banks, two building andloan
associations, three hotels. many boarding
houses, nine churches, o number of clubs,
and all the leading civic and social socie-
ties; a roller hou mill. capacity, fifty bar
reis per day; two wool-scoIring establish
meDts, cleaning 1,500, COO pounds Of wool
annually; a well-equipped brewery and
mineral and c~arboneted waters; two wag-
en- and carriage factories; q saddle and
trio light plant, three r,aning milla.
and other Enterprises of less Importance.
There arc eight large wholesale houses,
whose trade extends throughout the Ter.
ritory, end into the adjoining sections;
white the volume of this trade, and the
value OF the stocks which they carry, can
not be duplicated west of Kansas City and
south of Denver. Three merchants brok-
ers have selected the city as their distrib,
center, the amount of>sheir yearly
sales 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
larger and better stocks of goods than do
retail merchants of any other town in
this Territory or Arizona.
LAS VEGAS is the distributing point for
nearly ell New Mexico. BY the Atchlson
she has connection with Kansas
Inc nHct Goloradn on fhn north Arizo-I
ne and California on the west, and Texas
and Old Mexico on the south. Besides
she has more stage lines, connecting
Ler with tributary territory, than has any
other town in New Mexico. This territory
includes the entire section east and south
OF Lclfax, Mora, Taos, San Miguel,
Fe, Socorro, Dona Ana, Grant.
.haves, Lincoln ard Eddy. with parts of
Valencia and Der naliilo-a country larger
all New England. This takes in the
Valley ofthe Rio Grande, and the
famous, but not less excellent, Valley
Of the Pecus-the finest fruit sections Of
The west.
This Territory is rich In everything that
constitutes the Wealth of Nations. Iron,
coal, lead, silver, gold, mics, limestone,
sandstone, MARBLES, gypsum, soda in end
sss variety and exhaustless quantities,
are among the severed products of the
country which Las Vegas commands.
Sheep, cattle and lumber abound, SO that
n each of these prime ~erticlts of commerce
his city is the hest market 10 New Mexico.
handles mere wool than all the other
in the Territory combined, while
Der 10 hides is truly enormous.
10 the same way, she stands pre-eminent
Tor her TRACE 10 grains, hay, vegetables.
other farm products; while her trade
10 ice, gathered in the neigbboriug noun
canvors, extends east into Kansas,