Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1896-05-29
LOCALITY
Las Vegas, the Chief City
Of New Mcxico--Some
Of Her Resources,
Attractions and
Advantages.

Inhabitants.
1t has water works, street cars, arc and
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 ths 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-
stituta a distinctive American city. The
streets are wide and well graded, while
sidewalks abound. shaded with growing
trees. Three parks, filed with grass and
trees, add to the beauty and heelthfulness
of the place. Handsome and we'll filled
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
4 cil bnoutA ia W ~
A city hall, three public school buildings,
court. house, Masonic temple, opera house.
| Territorial Normal school and Territorial
Insane asylum are public buildings, con-
structed Of red II white cut sandstone,
unsurpassed in beauty by similar odifces
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 chool 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 al 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, nc excessive heat or
cold, no gnats, rats or mosquitoes. The
air is pure, dry, rarified, and highly cleo
trificd-a certain cure for cOnsun ption, ii
the disease he taken In time. The hot
" aters are q specific for LIVER, skin, rheu-
matte and blood disorders. Her Montezu-
ma hotel Is the finest hos te,ry between
Chicago and California. and is situated 10
a beautiful canyon, five miles from town,
where the Hot Springs, forty in number,
come boiling to the surface.
The latitude ls about the same as that OF
central Tennessee. while the altitude is
nearly 6 500 feet. This combination gives
a peculiar, but me st happy, result. In the
winter, during the day, the thermometer
seldom felis, In the shade, below forty de-
grees, while it tften runs, in the sunshine,
TO sixty-ive degrees-or even more. On
the other hand, in tie 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
roprd. This, with the extreme dryness OF
the air, caused by the very slight precipi-
;eti, n Of moisture; the resinous aroma,
rolling down from the pine-clad noun
tains; IL 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
respiratory organs The percentage OF
death from consumption is lower, In New
Mexico than it is anywhere 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 IL unrivaled. In a radius
OF twenty miles, 10 romantic mountain
| pleps and beside tabhlirg mountain brooks,
are the Las Vegas Hot Springs. Harvey's,
| Ell Porvenir, Ssndoval's Mineral Hill, Ro-
nero Ranch, Blake's, Sparks, Sapeilo,
| Rociada, and other places, too Numerous
to mention, where health can be recovered,
| and life becomes a pleasure to the ennuye,
| the invalid, the ovtr-worked business man.
LAS VEGAs hes tw 0 daily and i've weekly
papers, three banks, two building and loan
ass ociations, three hctels, many boarding
houses, niue churches, a number OF clubs,
| and all the leading civic n social socie-
| ties; a roller -four mill, capacity, fifty bar
| rels per day; two wnnl-scouring establish
ments, cleaning 100000 pounds of wool
annually a ~weli-equlppcd brewery and
mineral and carbonated waters; two wag-
| on and carriage factories; a saddle and
| harness factory; a 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 couter, the amount of their yearly
| sales exceeding, 10 the aggregate, the com
| bined sales of all other q brokers In
New Mexico. The retail merchants, Of
Las Vegas, are more numerous, and carry
larger and better stocks OF goods than 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, Arizo-
ma and California on the west, and Texas
and Old Mexico on the south. Besides
these, she has more stage lines, connecting
her with tributary territory, than has any
other town in New Mexico. This territory
includes the entire section east and south
ties Of Lolfax, 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 Psccs-the finest fruit sections OF
the west.
This Territory is rich In everything that
constitutes the Wealth of Nations. Iron,
coal, lead, silver, gold, mice, limestone,
sandstone. marbles, gypsum, soda In end
ess variety and exhaustless quantities,
are among the severed products Of the
country which Las Vegas commands.
Sheep, cattle and lumber abound, so that
in each of these prime articles of
this city Is the best market in New Mexico.
Sic handles more wool than ell the other
towns In the Territory combined, while
her In hides is truly
In the same way, she stands pre-eminent
for her TRACE 10 grains, hay, vegetables,
and other farm products: while her trade
10 ice, gathered In the ~neighboriuR noun
tain extends east into Kansas,
west iat0 Arizona, and south into Old