Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1896-05-21
LOCALITY
Las Vegas, the Chief City
OF New Mexico Some
of Her Resources,
Attractions and
Advantages.

, Inhabitants.
1t has water works, street cars, arc ant
incandescent electric light plant, telephon,
exchanges, Territorial agricultural expert
ment station, headquarters Of the Atchi.
son railway system, Now Mexico division,
together with railroad machine shops and
tie-preserving works, stock yards, and the
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 mi 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 healthfulness
Of the place. Handsome and we'll filled
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
oAA All SOuNonicuCcb
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 ediGces
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 tho 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, rarided, and highly cleo
triisd-a certain cure for consumption, If
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 hosiery 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. II
The LATITUDE Is about the same as that OF
central Tennessee, while the altitude is
nearly 6. 800 feet. This combination gives
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
never oppressive, In the shade, and nc
night is too warm for comfortable sleep,
under one OF two blankets: The sun will
nine days out of every ten, the year
round. This, with the extrsme dryness OF
the sir, caused by the very Glight preoipi- |
tation OF moisture; the resinous aroma, |
down from the pine-olad noun |
tains; the large amount of electricity 10
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 il a balm to all diseases of the
organs. The percentage of
death from consumption is lower in New
Mexico than II is anywhere else in the
States; and no other place In New
Mexico excels Las Vegas in the salubrity
Of its climate. Asthmatics experience
imnediate and permanent roller, la this
In the way Of health and pleasure re-
Las Vegas IL unriyaled. In a radius
aiens and beside babbling mountain brooks,
are the Les Vegas Hot Springs. Harvey's,
Ell Porveair, S~andoval'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-wcrked business map.
LAS VEGAS has two daily and Ave weekly
three banks, two Building and loan
associations, three hotels, many boarding
houses, niue churches, q number OF clubs,
and all the leading civic and social socie-
tiss; a roller -four mill, capacity, fifty bar
rels per day; two wool-scouring establish
cleaning 100000 pounds OF wool
annually; a well-equipped brewery and
ests blishment; a mandatory OF
and oarbopated waters; two wag-
on and carriage factories; q saddle and
factory; q foundry. cleo
trio light plant, three planning mills
and other enterprises Of less Importance.
There are eight large wholesale houses.
ritory, and into tho adjoining sections
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-
uting center, the amount of their yearly
sales exceeding, in the aggregate, the com
binpd sales OF all other such brokers in
New Mexico. The retail merchants, of
Vegas, are more numerous, and carry
and better stocks of goods b do
the retail merchants Of any other town in
this Territory or 4rigOae,
LAS VEGAS is the distributing point for
- =. - Dr. k. 1
she has connection with Kansas
on the east, Colorado on the north, Arizo-
ma and California on the west, and Texas
and Old Mexico on the south. Besides
these, she has more stage lines, connecting
her with tributary territory, than has any
other town In New Mexico. This territory
the entire section east and south
Of the mountains, and comprises the coun-
Of Colfax, Mora, Taos, San Miguel,
Santa Fe, Socorro, Dona Ana, Grant, /
Cbaves, Lincoln and Eddy, with parts of
Valencia and Bernalillo-a country larger
all New England. This takes in the
Valley ofthe Rio Grande, and the
Of the Pecos-the finest fruit sections of
the west.
This Territory is rich 10 everything that
constitutes the Wealth Of Nations. Iron,
coal, lead, silver, gold, mica, limestone,
sandstone, marbles, gypsum, soda in end
ess variety and exhaustless quantities,
are among the several products Of the
which Las Vegas commands.
Sheep, cattle and lumber abound, so that
10 each OF these prime articles OF commerce
this city Is the best market in New Mexico.
handlee more wool than all the other
towns in the Territory combined, while
her 10 hides Is truly /
10 the same way, she stands p~re-eminent
for her trace in grains, hay. vegetables,
ard other farm products: while her trade
In ice. gathered In the neighboriug noun
tain canyons, extends east into Kansas.