Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1896-03-31
THIS LOCALITY
Las Vegas, the Chief City
of New Mexico Some
of Her Resources,
Attractions and
Advantages.

r LAS VEGAS, meaning 1.-THE Meadows
Is the county seat Of Ban Miguel county
lies on both sides Of the Gnllinas river
and, with Its suburbs, has about 1000
inhabitants.
1t haS water works, street cars, arc snf
! incandescent electric light plant, teIephon,
s exchanges, Territorial agricultural expert
menS s.uuon, headquarters OF tho 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 plan
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 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 healthfulnoss
Of the place. Handsome and we'll filed
stores, beautiful residences, and innumera-
bic lawns, set In grass and adorned with
~shrubbery and flowers, combine to pro-
claim a cultured community, possessed of
all modern comforts and convehiences.
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 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, 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 10
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, rariied, and highly cleo
trifed-a certain cure for consumption, IL
the disease be taken in time. The hot
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 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
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
seldom falls, in the shade, below forty de-
grees, while 1t often runs, in the sunshine,
to sixty-fve degrees-or even more. On
the other band, 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
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-clau noun
tains; the large amount of electricity 1Tl
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-
pnere which Is a balm to all diseases of the
hC1Rlh otOiy Oi6ohos -
death from consumption is lower in New
Mexico than 1t is anywhere else in the
States; and no other place in New
Mexico excels Las Vegas in the %salubrlty
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 batbling mountain BROOKS,
are the Las Vegas Hot Springs. Harvey's,
Ell P~orvenir, Sandoval'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 o pleasure to the ennuye,
the invalid, the over-worked business man.
LAS VEGAS has " daily and dive weekly
papers, three banks, two building n loan ]
associations, three hotels. many boarding /
houses, nine churches, a number OF clubs,
and all the leading civic and social s%ocie-
ties; a roller -four mill, capacity, fifty bar
rels per day; W wool-scouring establish
ments, cleaning 1900, 900 pounds of wool
annually; a well-equipped brewery and
establishment; a manufactory of
and carbonated waters; two wag- !
and carriage factories; a saddle and {
trio light plant, three planning mills,
and other enterprises of less Importance.
There are eight large wholesale houses,
trade extends throughout the Ter s
ritory, and into the adjoining sections Il,
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.
srs have selected the city as their distrib- ]
nting 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 :
Vegas, are more numerous, and carry /
larger and better stocks OF goods han do !
The retail merchants OF any other town in
ibis Territory or Arizona. s {
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- I
"a and California on the west, and Texas |
Old Mexico IN the south. Besides /
these, she has more stage lines, connecting :
her with tributary territory, than has any =
town in New Mexico. This territory ft
the entire section east and south :
the mouotains, aud comprises the
Of Colfax, Mora, Taos, "a Miguel, !,
Santa Fe, Socorr0, Don Ana, Grant, !
Chaves, Lincoln and Eddy, with parts of {
Valencia and Bernaliilo-a country larger r
han all New England. This takes in the !
famous Valley ofthe Rio Grande, and the !
Iess famous, but notices. excellent, Valley
the Pecos-the fines. fruit sections of
she west.
This Territory Is rich In everything that
the Wealth of Natl ms. Iron,
coal, lead, silver, gold, mica, limestone,
sandstone. marbles, gypsum, soda in end
ACE variatv and exhaustless quantities.