Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1896-04-11
THIS LOCALITY
Las Vegas, the Chief City
of New Mexico Some
of Her Resources,
Attractions and
Advantages.

IL the county seat OF San Miguel count.
lies IN both sides Of the Galliuas rive
!, and, with Its suburbs, has about 10,0l
Inhabitants.
1t has water works, street cars, arc an
incandescent electric light plant, telephor
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 plar
in the United States.
West of the river, the old town has th
quaint and picturesque Mexican appear
ance = adobe houses, narrow, crooke
streets, native people and customs, handi
crafts and occupations; but the plaza an
all of the new town, east Of the river, con
stitute a distinctive American city. Tn
streets are wide and we'll graded, Will
sidewalks abound, shaded with growing
trees. Three parks, filed with grass ant
trees, add to the beauty and healthfulnes
Of the place. Handsome and well-fllet
stores, beautiful residences, and innumera
BILE lawns, set in grass and adorned will
shrubbery and flowers, combine to pro
claim a 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 ediices
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
OLu III kAdt5y Idtb Va AAOc4uttOOos 4AC
air is pure, dry, rarified, 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, rbeu-
matte and blood disorders. Her Montezu-
ma hotel is the finest hostelry between
Chicago and California, and is situated in
a beautiful canyon, five miles from town,
where the Hot Springs, forty In number,
boiling to the surface.
The latitude 10 about the same as that OF
central Tennessee, while the altitude is
nearly $500 feet. This combination gives
a peculiar, but most happy, result. In the
winter, during the day, the thermometer
falls, 10 the shade, below forty de-
grees, while it often runs, in the sunshine,
to sixty-1ve 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 dryDess of
the air, caused by the very slight precipi-
tation of moisture; the resinous aroma,
down from the pine-clad noun
tains; the large amount Of electricity in
the air, n the consequent ozone, result
ing from thealtitude; and the location of the
town, n d-iocked by mountain and mesa
all conspire to produce an atmos-
phere which is q balm to all diseases OF the
organs. The percentage of
death from consumption is lower In New
thar 1t is anywhere else in the
States; and no other place In New
Mexico excels Las Vegas in the salubrity
OF its climate. Asthmatics experience
and permanent relief, in this
In the way of health and pleasure re-
Las Vegas IL unrivaled. In a radius
Of twenty miles, in romantic mountain
glens and beside bahbling mountain brooks,
are the Las Vegas Hot Springs. Harvey's,
Ell Porvenir, Sandoval's Mineral Hill, Ro-
Ranch, Blake's, Sparks, Sapello,
Rociada, and other places, too Numerous
10 mention, where health can be recovered,
and life becomes a pleasure to the ennuye,
the invalid, the over-worked business man.
LAS VEGAS has two daily and ave weekly
papers, three banks, two building and loan
ociations, three hotels, many boarding
nine churches, a number OF clubs,
and all the leading civic and social socie-
ties; a roller -four mill, capacity, fifty bar.
rels per day two wool-scouring establish
cleaning 1900, 900 pounds Of wool
annually; a we'll equipped brewery and
establishments; a mandatory of
and carbonated waters; two wag-
and carriage factories; a saddle and
; aacne light lI pls : three '0p blaming Mills sisS.
other enterprises of less Importance.
There are eight large wholesale houses,
whose trade extends throughout the Ter
.itory, and into the adjoining sections;
the volume of this trade, and the
value of the stocks which they carry, can
lot be duplicated west of Kansas City and
of Denver. Three merchants brok-
,rs ave selected the city as their distrib-
iting center, the amount of their yearly
Iales exceeding, In the aggregate, the COM
,ined sales of all other such brokers in
New Mexico. The retail merchants, of
Las Vegas, are more numerous, and carry
arger and better stocks Of goods than do
he retail merchants Of any other town in
Territory or Arizona,
LAS VEGAS is the distributing point for
nearly all New Mexico. BY the Atchlson
iystem, she has connection with Kansas
N the east, Colorado on the north, Arizo-
10 and California on the west, and Texas
Old Mexico on the south. Besides
hese, she has more stage lines, cofnecting
Ter with tributary territory, than has any
'ther town in New Mexico. This territory
the entire section east and south
les of Colfax, Mora, Taos, San Miguel,
Fe, Socorro, Dona Ana, Grant,
Lincoln and Eddy, with parts OF
Valencia and Bernalillo-a country larger
han all New England. This takes in the
Valley oftbe Rio Grande, and the
ess famous, but not less excellent, Valley
4 the Pecos-the finest fruit sections Of
west.
This Territory is rich In everything that
the Wealth of Nations. Iron,
oal, lead, silver, gold, mica, limestone,
andstone, marbles, gypsum, soda In end
ss variety and exhaustless quantities,
among the several products of the
ountry which Las Vegas commands
sheep, cattle and lumber abound, SO that
= - = H.. 49, ~At.I~ -
city lie the best market in New Mexico,
The handles more wool than all the other
owns IN the Territory combined, while
Ter m 10 hides Is truly enormous.
a the same way, she stands pre-eminent
or her trace 10 grains, hay, vegetables,