Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1896-07-07
LOCALITY
Las Vegas, the Chief City
of New Mexico Some
of Her Resources,
Attractions and
Advantages.

exchanges, Territorial agricultural exper
ment station, headquarters OF the Atchl
son railway system, New Mexico division
together with railroad machine shops an
tie preserving works, stock yards, and tn
largest sheep shearing and dipping plan
in the United States.
West OF the river, the old town has tn
quaint and picturesque Mexican appear
ance = adobe houses, narrow, crooke'
streets, native people and customs, handi
crafts and occupations; but the plaza ant
all of the new town, east of the river, con
stitute q distinctive American city. TIL
streets are wide and well graded, Will,
sidewalks abound, shaded with growing
trees. Three parks, filed with grass sn,
trees, add to the beauty and healthfulnes
of the place. Handsome and we'll flle(
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 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 edifcei
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 in
America. Her thermal waters are the
equal of the Hot Springs of Arkansas,
while her. climate il infinitely superior.
There Is 10 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, IL
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
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 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
seldom falls, in the shade, below forty de-
grees, while it often runs, in the sunshine,
to sixty-five degrees-or even more. On
the other hand, in the summer, the heat IS
v 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 year
round. This, with the extreme dryness of
the air, caused by the very slight precipi.
tation of moisture; the resinous aroma,
down from the pine-clad lot
tains; the large amount of electricity in
the air, and the consequent ozone result
ing from thealtitude and the location of the
town, land -locked by mountain and mesa
all conspire to produce an atmos-
pnere which is a balm to all diseases OF the
organs. The percentage of
death from consumption is lower in New
than 1t is any where else in the
United States; and no other place in New
Mexico excels Las Vegas in the salubrIty
of its climate. AsthmatIcs experience
immediate and permanent relief, in this
In the way of health and pleasure re-
sorts, Las Vegas is unrivaled. In a radius
OF twenty miles, in romantic mountain
glens and beside babbling mountain brooks,
are the Las Vegas Hot Springs, Harvey's,
FL 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 a 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
nine churches, q number OF clubs,
md all the leading civic and social socie-
ties; a roller -four mill, capacity, fifty bar
rels per day two wool-scouring esta blish-
ments, cleaning 1,500,0W pounds Of wool
annually; a w%ell-equipped brewery and
establishment; a mandatory of
mineral and ~carbonated waters; two wag-
On and carriage factories; a saddle and
factory; "a foundIy. cleo
light plant, three planning mills.
other enterprises of less Importance.
There are eight large wholesale houses,
whose trade extends throughout the Ter
and into the adjoining sections;
the volume of this trade, and the
ralue of the stocks which they carry, can
lot be duplicated west of Kansas City and
south of Denver. Three merchants brok-
DTS have selected the city as their distrib-
ltipg center, the amount of their yearly
'ales exceeding, in the aggregate, the COM
oined sales OF all other such brokers in
New Mexico. The retail merchants, of
Las Vegas, are more numerous, and carry
anger and better stock of goods thar do
he retail merchants of any other town in
his Territory or Arizona.
LAS VEGAS is the distributing point for
nearly all New Mexico. BY the Atchlson
Iystem, she has connection with Kansas
IN tho aoct CoIOradn nm tbe north rico. |
la and California on the west, and Texas
lnI Old Mexico on the south. Besides
she has more stage lines, connecting
Ter with tributary territory, than has any
,ther town in New Mexico. This territory
includes the entire section east n south
# the mountains, and comprises the coun-
les of Colfax, Mora, Taos, San Miguel,
Jhaves, Lincoln and Eddy, with parts Of
Valencia and BernaliIlo-a country larger
han all New England. This takes in the
amous Valley ofthe Rio Grapde, and the
ess famous, but not less excellent, Valley
II the Pecos-the finest fruit sections of
he west.
This Territory Is rich In everything that
the Wealth OF Natl ms. Iron,
soal, lead, silver, gold, mice, limestone,
andstone. marbles. gypsum, soda in end
'ss variety and exhaustless quantities.,
IRE among the several products of the
country which Las Vegas commands.
sheep, cattle and lumber abound, so that
q each of these prime articles OF commerce
his city is the best market in New Mexico.
,be handles more wool than all the other
owns In the Territory combined, while
Ter 10 hides is truly enormous.
n the same way, she stands pre-eminent
or her trade In grains, hay, vegetables,
nd other farm products: while her trade
q ice. gathered In the neighboriug noun
ain canyons, extends east into Kansas.
rest iato Arizona, and south into Old
"One OF my sick headaches, you
ar L-. -