Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1896-05-22
THIS LOCALITY
Las Vegas, the Chief City
of New Mexico Some
of Her Resources,
Attractions and
Advantages.

LAS VEGAS, meaning 1.-THE Meadows
Is the county seat Of San Miguel count
lies on both sides of the Gallinas rive
and, with its suburbs, has about 100
inhabitants.
1t has water works, street cars, arc an
~incandescent electric light plant, telephon
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 plan
in the United States.
West OF the river, the old town has lib,
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 we'll graded, while
sidewalks abound, shaded with growing
trees. Three parks, filed with grass and
trees, add to the beauty and healthfulness
Of the place. Handsome and we'll filed
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
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 asy lum 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, q 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
Her thermal wat rs are the
equal of the Hot Springs of Arkansas,
while Der climate is infinitely superior.
. ~ u aO OAOCo5fN6 n61b VI |
cold, no gnats, rats or mosquitoes. The
air is pure, dry, rarifed, and highly cleo
certain cure for consumption, IL
the disease be taken In time. The hot
are o specific for liver. skin, rheu.
and blood disorders. Her Montezu-
ma hotel is the finest hostelry between
Chicago and California, and is situated in |
4 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
nearly $500 feet. This combination gives
a peculiar, but most happy, result. In the
during the day. the thermometer
falls, 10 the shade, below forty de-
while it often runs, in the sunshine,
% sixty-ive degrees-or even more. On
he other hand, in the summer, the heat Is
lever oppressive, IN the shade, and no
is too warm for comfortable sleep,
lnder one or two blankets. The sun will
Ihine nine days out of every ten, the year
'ound. This, with the extrome dryness of
he air, caused by the very slight precipi.
alton OF moisture; the resinous aroma,
Qlling down from the piae- oiad noun
aims; the large amount of electricity in
be air, and the consequent ozone, result
from thealtitude; and the location Of the
own, land blocked by mountain and mesa
all conspire to produce an atmos- F.
AN hAN o . O&ihA " al utoc9S65 VI tu6 | Z
.espiratory organs. The percentage of ,
cath from consumption is lower In New !
than it is any where else in the !
United States; and no other place in New /
lexico excsls Las Vegas in the salubrity
{ its climate. Asthmatics experience 4
Immediate and permanent relief, in this
/.
In the way of health end pleasure re- !
orts, Las Vegas is unrivaled. In q radius T
I twenty miles, in romantic mountain +
lens and beside ~babbling mountain brooks, I
the Las Vegas Hot Springs. Harvey's, l
PorveniT, Sandovals Mineral Hill, Ro- {
zero Ranch, Blake's, Sparks, Sapello, q
and other places, too Numerous
mention, where health can be recovered,
nd life becomes a pleasure to the ennuye,
invalid, the over-worked business man. G
LAS VEGAS has two daily and Ave weekly Q
apers, three banks, two building and loan y
three hotels, many boarding .
buses, line churches, q number OF clubs, .
all the leading civic and social socie-
IS; a roller four mill, capacity, afty bar Y
liz per dsy, two wool-soouring establish y
a we'll equipped brewery and !
,ttling establishment; a mandatory of J
neral and carbonnted waters; two wag-
4 and carriage factories; q saddle and
arness factory; a foundry. cleo z
ic light plant, three planning mills. y
Id other enterprises Of less Importance. a
There are eight large Wholesale houses, p
and into the adjoining sections 4
lille the voiume of this trade, and the y
llue of the stocks which they carry, can a
It be duplicated west of Kansas City and r
nth of Denver. Three merchants brok. ID
have selected the city as their distrib-
ing center, the amount of their yearly
les exceeding, in the aggregate, the com 81
nd ealec ~ oil nfbor eunb polo. - u
Mexico. The retail merchants, of a,
ls Vegas, are more numerous, aud carry
rger and better stocks of goods than do
o retail mer chants of any other town in r.
is Territory or Arizona. T.
LAS VEGAS is the distributing point for Z.
aTly oil New Mexico. BY the Atchlson n
stem, she has connection with Kansas ~,
the east, Colorado on the north, Arizo- g.
and California on the west, and Texas J..
i Old Mexico en- the south. Besides 3.
Sc, she has more stage lines, connecting "
r with tributary territory, than has any y
Ter town in New Mexico. This territory 2.
dudes the entire section east and south a.
the mountains, and comprises the coun-
9 Of Colfex, Mora, Taos, San Miguel,
rita Fe, Socorro, Dona Ana, Grant, J..
avos, Lincoln and Eddy. with parts of Q.
llencia and BernaliIlo-a country larger ~
an all New England. This takes in the =
nous Valley ofthe Rio Grande, and the
8 famous, but not less excellent, Valley &c
the Pecos-the finest fruit sections Of 8.
!, west. NJ.
Territory is rich 10 everything that Co
,stitutes the Wealth Of Nations. Iron,
j, lead, silver, gold, mice, limestone, Y,
marbles, gypsum, soda in end x
variety and exhaustless quantities, Fr
among the severed products of the j.
which Les Vegas commands. WI
eap, cattle and lumber abound, so that J..
zach of these prime articles of commerce u
5 city is the best market 10 New Mexico. =
. hapdles more wool thar all the other :