Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1896-11-21
THIS LOCALITY
Las Vegas, the Chief City
of New Mexico Som
of Her Resources,
Attractions and
Advantages.

LAS VEGAS, meaning "The Meadows,"
is the county seat of San Miguel county,
lies on both sides Of the Gallinas river,
and, with its suburbs, has about 10000
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 tho
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-
| stitute Q 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 well-dlled
stores, beautiful residences, and innumera-
| BILE lawns, set in grass and adorned with
| s~hrubbery and flowers, combine to pro-
| claim a cultured community, possessed OF
| all modern comforts and co%nveniences.
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 edifices
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
trified-a certain cure for consumption, II
the disease be taken In time. The not
waters are q specific for liver, skin, rheu-
matte and blood disorders. Her Montezu-
ma hotel is the finest hostelry between
Chicago and California, and is situated In
q beautiful canyon, five miles from town,
where the Hot Springs, forty in number,
come boiling to the surface.
Tha Iotituda 10 ah0uf the sauna as that oil
central Tennessee, while the altitude is
!, nearly $500 feet. This combination gives
a peculiar, but most happy, result. 10 the
winter, during the day, the thermometer
seldom falls, 10 the shade, below forty de-
prees, while it often runs, In the sunshine,
10 sixty-hve degrees-or even more. On
r 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 yeaI
? round. This, with the extreme dryness OF
4 the air, caused by the very slight precipi-
tation of moisture; the resinous aroma,
rolling down from the pine-clad noun
I taips: the large amount OF electricity III
: the air. and the consequent ozone, result
a ing from thealtitude; and the location OF tnt
! town. land-iocked by mountain and mess
! these all conspire to produce an atnUs.
: pnere which is q balm to all diseases OF tbs
i. respiratory organs. The percentage o
6 death from consumption is lower In New
. Mexico b It is any where else in to-
: United States; an6 no other place In New
Mexico excels Las Vegas in the saluorit,
of its climate. Asthmatics experience
:. Immediate and permanent relief, in thi
altitude.
in the way OF health and pleasure re
j sorts, Las Vegas Is unrivaled. In q radiu
8 OF twenty miles, in romantic mouptai
glens and beside babbliug mountain brooks
are the Las Vegas Hot Springs. Haryey's
Ell Porvenir, Sandovals Mineral Hlll, ho
!, nero Ranch, Blake's, Sparks, Sapeilc
Rociada, and other places, too n1merou
"a to mention, where health can be recovered
and life becomes a pleasure to the ennuye
the invalid, the over-worked business naI
LAS VEGAS has two daily and i've weekl
!, papers, three banks, two building and loa
associations, three hotels. many Doaralh
houses, nine churches, q number OF clup'
:. aud ali the leading civic and social socle
, ties; a roller -Four mill, capacity, fifty bar
rels per day; two wool-scourlng establish
ments, cleaning 100000 pounds of wot
annually; a we'll equipped brewery an
!, bottling establishment; a manufactory {
T. mineral and carbonatsd waters; two waf
on and carriage factories; a saddle an
trio light plant. three planning mill
'i and other enterprises of less Importance.
There are eight large Wholesale house
d. whose trade xtend throughout the lei
rs ritory, and into the adjoining sections
while the volume of this trade, m Il
u value of the stocks which they carry, CO
as not be duplicated west of Kansas City ar
,h south of Denver. Three merchants brol
ers haye selected the city as their distril
uting center, the amount of their year
;, sales exceeding, in the aggregate, the con
II, bined sales Of all other such brokers
lis New Mexico. The retail merchants,
Las Vegas, are more numerous, and carl
larger and better stocks of goods than
the retail merchants OF any other town
this Territory or Arizona.
d LAS VEGAS is the distributing point I
IS nearly all New Mexico. By the Atchls'
!, SYSTEM, she has connection with Kans
ne on the east, Colorado on the north, Ariz
By ma and California on the west, and Tex
ne and Old Mexico on the south. Besid
these, she has more stage lines counectil
aE her with tributary territory, than has al
~ other town In New Mexico. This terrific
W. includes the entire section east and sou
e, of the mountains, and comprises the cou
ties OF Colfax, Mora Taos, San Migu
Santa Fe, Socorro, Dona Ana, Graz
Cbaves, Lincoln and Eddy, with parts
Valencia and Bernalillo-a country larg
ia. than all New England. This takes in t
famous Valley ofthe Rio Grande, and t
~ less famous, but not less excellent, Vail
lil- of the P~eeos-the finest fruit sections
rs, the west.
,ay This Territory is rich in every thing ii
constitutes the Wealth of Nations. Ir<
~ coal, lead, silver, gold, mica, limestol
~. sandstone. marbles, gypsum, soda in on
by ess variety and exhaustless q~uantiti
Las are among the several products of I
'le- country wn,cn Las sests ,c cSm - !.
In each OF these prime articles Of CONNER
this city is the best market In New Mexi
Size handles more wool than all the oil
towns ia the Territory combined, VIII
ait her 10 hides is truly enormo
peo IL tha same wcv. she stands pre-eminl