Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1896-04-10
THIS LOCALITY
Las Vegas, the Chief City
Of New Mexico Some
of Her Resources,
Attractions and
Advantages.


LAS VEGAS, meaning "Tho Meadow
Is the county scat OF San Miguel county
lies on both sides Of the Gallinas river
and, with its suburbs, has about 1000
inhabitants.
1t has water works, street cars, arc ans
incandescent electric light plant, TELEPHONY
exchanges, Territorial agricultural expert
mcnt station, headquarters Of the Atchi
son railway system, New Mexico division
together with railroad machine shops ant
tie preserving works, stock yards, and ths
largest sheep shearing and dipping plan
In the United States.
West of the river, the old town has thu
quaint and picturesque Mexican appear
ance - adobe houses, narrow, crooked
streets, native people M customs, handi.
crafts and occupations; but the plaza and
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, filed with grass and
trees, add to the beauty and h~ealthfulness
Of the place. Handsome and filled
stores, beautiful residences, and innumera
BILE lawns, set In grass and adorned with
shrubbery and flowers, combine to pro-
claim q 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 asylum are public buildings, con-
~structed of red and white cut sandstone,
unsurpassed in beauty by similar edihces
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 kim
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 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, rarifed, and highly cleo
triied-a certain cure for consumption, II
the disease be taken in time. The hot
waters are q specific for liver, skin, rheu-
matte and blood disorders. Her Montezu-
ma hotel is the finest hostelry between
oa - N - 4 Na1ffornio and 10 aifttotad 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
Tennessee, while the altitude is
$500 feet. This combination gives
a peculiar, but most happy, result. In the
during the day, the Thermometer
grees, while 1t often runs, in the sunshine,
~sixty-five degrees-or even more. On
the other hand, In the summer, the heat is.
never oppressive, In the shade, and no
is too warm for comfortable sleep,
under one or two blankets. The sun will
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-clad noun:
tains; the large amount of electricityin
the air, and the consequent ozone, results
ing from thealtitude and the location of the
town, and-locked by mountain and mesa
all conspire to produce an atmos-
pnere which is q balm to all diseases OF the
respiratory organs. The percentage Of
death from consumption is lower in New
than it is anywhere else in the
States; and no other place In New.
Mexico excels Las Vegas in the salubrity
OF its climate. Asthmatlcs experience
I'M permanent relief, in this
In the way Of health and pleasure re-
Las Vegas ~ unrivaled. In a radius
OF twenty miles, in romantic mountain
glens and beside hatbling mountain brooks,
are the Las Vegas Hot Springs. Harvey's,
Ell Porvenir, Sandoval's Mineral Hill, Ro-
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,
invalid, the over-worked business man.
LAS VEGAS has two daily and ave weekly
papers, three banks, two building and loan
associations, three hotels, many boarding
houses, nine churches, a number OF clubs,
and all the leading civic and social socie-
tiss; a roller -four mill, capacity, fifty bar
rels per day two wool-sc0uring establish
ments, cleaning 1900, 900 pounds OF wool
annually; q we'll equipped brewery and
establishment; a mandatory OF
mineral and carbonated waters; W o wag-
and carriage factories; q saddle and
nacne light plant, three planning mills,
and other enterprises of less Importance.
There are eight large wholesale houses,
trade extends throughout the Ter
ritorv, and into the adjoining sections,
the volume of this trade, and the
value of the stocks which they carry, can
not be duplicated west OF Kansas City and
NY z-.. IT, W. .an r,a~nhonta5 Av.ot III
srs have selected the city as their distrib-
uting center, the amount Of their 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
and better stocks Of goods h a 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
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
lies Of CoIfax, Mora, Taos, SAP Miguel,
Santa Fe, Socorro, Dopa Ana, Grant,
.haves, Lincoln and Eddy, with parts of
Valencia and Bernalillo--a country larger
all New England. This takes In the
Valley ofthe Rio Grande, and the
ess famous, but not less excellent, Valley
the Pecos-the finest fruit sections Of
The west.
This Territory is rich In everything that
constitutes the Wealth of Nations. Iron,
coal, lead, silver, gold, mica, limestone,
maidstone. marbles, gypsum, soda in end
sss variety and exhaustless quantities,
are among the several products of the
which Las Vegas commands.
Sheep, cattle and lumber abound, so that
In each OF these prime articles Of commerce
this itv IL the best market Ia New Mexico,