Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1896-03-28
LOCALITY
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Las Vegas, the Chief City
of New Mexlco--Some
of Her Resources,
Attractions and
Advantages.

Inhabitants.
1t has water works, street cars, arc an
. incandescent electric light plant, telephon
I exchanges, Territorial agricultural exper
ment station, headquarters OF the AtchI
son railway system, New Mexico division
together with railroad machine shops an
: tie preserving works, stock yards, and th
largest sheep shearing and dipping plan
in the United States.
West of the river, the old town has tn
quaint and picturesque Mexican appear
ance adobe houses, narrow, crooket
streets, native people and customs, handi
crafts and occupations; but the plaza ane
all of the new town, east Of the river, con
D stitnte a distinctive American city. I'll,
streets are wide and we'll graded, Will,
sidewalks abound. shaded with growing
trees. Three parks, filed with grass and
trees, add to the beauty and healthfulnesi
Of the place. Handsome n well filled
stores, beautiful residences, and innumsra.
BILE lawns, set in grass q adorned with
~shrubbery and flowers, combine to. pro-
claim a cultured community, possessed Of
all modern comforts and co~nveniences.
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 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, q 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 gnats, rats or mosquitoes. The
air is pure, dry, rarified, and highly cleo
trifiedma certain cure TOR consumption; II
waters are a specific for liver, skin, rheu.
matte and blood disorders. Her Montezu-
ma hotel Is the finest hostelry between
Chicago and California, and Is situated 10
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 thai. yof
central Tennessee, while the altitude, is
nearly 6. 500 feet. This combination gives
a peculiar, but most happy, result. In the
winter, during the day, the thermometer
seldom falls, 10 the shade, below forty de-
grees, while it often runs, in the sunshine,
to sixty-five degrees-or even more. On
the other hand, in the hummer, the heat Is
never oppressive, IN the shade, N 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 aromf, |
rolling down from the pine-clad moun-
tnius; the large amount OF electricity 10
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 q balm to all diseases Of the
respiratory organs. The percentage Of
death from consumption is lower In New
Mexico than 1t is anywhere else in the
United States; and no other place 10 New
Mexico excela Las Vegas in the ~salubrity
of its climate. Asthmatics experience
0Ao v Ah< ~ spato
altitude. A. 4
In the way Of health and pleasure re-
sorts, Las Vegas is uniivaled. In q radius
OF twenty miles, In romantic mountain
glens and beside babbling mountain brooks,
are the Las Vegas Hot Springs, Harvey's,
nero Ranch, Blake's, Sparks, Sapello,
Rociada, and other places, too Numerous
to mention, where health can be recovered,
and life becomes q pleasure to the ennuye,
the invalid, the over-worked business man.
LAS VEGAS has two daily and Ave weekly |
papers, three banks, two building n loan
associations, three hotels. many boarding
houses, nine churches, Q number'of clubs,
and all the leading civic and social socis-
ties; a roller fiour mill, capacity, fifty bar
rels per day two wool-scouring establish
ments, cleaning 100000 pounds of wool
annually; a well-equipped brewery and
bottling establishments; . mandatory of
mineral and carbonated waters; two wag-
on and carriage factories; a saddle and
harness factory; q foundry. cleo
trio light plant, three planning mile,
and other enterprises Of less importance.
There are eight large Wholesale houses,
whose trade extends throughout the Ter
ritory, and into the adjoining sections;
while 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-
uting center, the amount Of their yearly |
sales exceeding, in the aggregate, the com.
bined 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 thar do
the retail merchants Of any other town in
this Territory or Arizona.
LAS VEGAS is the distributing point for
nearly all New Mexico. By the Atchlson
system, she has connection with Kansas
on the east, Colorado on the north, Arixo-
ma and California on the weSE, and Texas
ana Old Mexico ON the south. Besides
these, she has more stage lines, connecting
be. with tributary territory, than has any
other town In New Mexico. This territory
includes the entire section east n south
Of the mountains, and comprises the coun-
ties OF Colfax, Mora, Taos, San Miguel,
Santa Fe, Socorro, Dona Ana, Grant,
Chaves, Lincoln and Eddy. with parts OF
Valencia and Bernalillo-a country larger
than all New England. This takes In the
famous Valley ofthe Rio Grande, and the
less famous, but not less excellent, Valley
Of the Pecos-the finest fruit sections or
the west. II
constitutes the Wealth Of Nations. Iron,
coal, lead, silver, gold, micat Limestone,
sandstone, marbles, gypsum. s0dd In end
ess variety and exhaustless quantities, |
are among the several products Of the
country which Las Vegas commando.
Sheep, cattle and lumber abound, so that
in each OF these prime articles Of
this city is the best market 10 New Mexico. |
She handles more wool thanall the other
towns In the Territory combined, while
her in hides is truly
Ia the same way, she stands p~re-eminent
for her trade In grains, hay, vegetables,
and other farm products; while her trade
a.. -. 49, l., sL2 1900