Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1896-12-19
THIS LOCALITY
Las Vegas, the Chief City
of New Mexico
of Her Resources,
Attractions and
Advantages.

1t has water works, street cars, arc and
incandescent electric light plant, telephone
exchanges, Territorial agricultural expert
mont station, headquarters of the Atchi-
son railway system, New Mexico division,
together with railroad machine shops and
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 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 healthfulness
OF the place. Handsome and weli-dlled
stores, beautiful residences, and innumsra-
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-
| s~tructed of red and white cut sandstone,
unsurpassed in beauty by similar odificss
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, . 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 is infinitely superior.
There is no malaria, no excessive heat or
cold, no gnats, rats or mosquitoes. The
air ia pure, dry, rarified, and highly cleo
triied-a certain cure for consumption, II
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 fnest 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 ths surface.
The latitude Is about the same as that OF
central Tennessee, while the altitude is
nearly 6 $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 DC
---.. -rL.lo 10 NfrAu runa In tho QnnShlnA
to sixty-hve degrees-or even more. On
the other hand, in the summer the neat Is
never oppressive, IN the shade, ana nc
night is too warm for comfortable sleep,
under one or two blankets. The sun viii
shine nine days out of every ten, the yea1
round. This. with the extreme dryness OF
the air, caused by the very slight precipi'
tation of moisture; the resinous aroma
rolling down from the plne-clad noun
taips: the large amount of electricity IL
the air, and the consequent ozone, result
ing from thealtitude; and the location OF tn'
town, land -locksd by mountain and mest
these all conspire to produce an atmos
pnere which is balm to ell diseases of th'
respiratory organs The percentage o
death from consumption is lower In New
Mexico thar it is anywhere else in th
:, United States; and no other place In New
J Mexico excels Las Vegas in the saiubrit.
Of its climate. Astbmatics experience
immediate and permanent RELIEF, In tni
altitude.
in the way of health and pleasure re
sorts, Las Vegas il unrivaled. 10 a radiu
3 of twenty miles, In romantic mountai
elens and beside babhling mountain brooks
are the Las Vegas Hot Springs, Harvey
Ell Porvenir, Sandoval's Mineral Hill, ~
nero Ranch, Blaks's, Sparks, Sapeli'
/, Rociada, and other places, too namerot
= to mention, where health can be recovered
and life becomes a pleasure TO the ennuy'
: the invalid, the over-worked business mal
n LAS VEGAS has two daily and i've week.
r papers, three banks. two building n loa
associations, three hotels. many boardin
= houses, nine churches, q number OF cluo
J aud all the leading civic and social socl'
u ties; a roller -four mill. capacity. fifty bal
rels per Gay two wool-scourlng esthDiiss
: ments, cleaning 100000 pounds OF wo
Z annually; a we'll equipped brewery al
bottline establishments; n mandatory
mineral and carbonated waters; two wa,
e on and carriage factories; a saddle al
,e harness factory; a foundIy eie
tric light plant, three planning MIL
There are eight large wholesale house
whose trade extends throughout the TIE
ritory, and into the adjoining section
!, while the volume of this trade. and g
J value OF the stocks which they carry, CT
= not be duplicated west of Kansas City al
i. south Of Denver. Three merchants bro
ers have selected the city as their distri
y rtirp center, the amount of their year
sales exceeding, in the aggregate, the cor
|. bined sales OF all other such brokers
: sew Mexico. The retail merchants,
y, Las Vegas, are more numerous, and car
u larger and better stocks of goods than
thu retail merchants OF any other town
II this Territory or Arizona.
LAS VEGAS is the distributing point
w nearly all New Mexico. By the Atchls
system, she has connection with Kans
q on the east. Colorado on the north, Ari2
IS ma and California on the west, and Tex
T. and Old Mexico on the south. Besic
these, she has more stage lines connect
her with tributary territory, than has a
other town In New Mexico. This terrific
includes the entire section east and sol
Of the mountains, aud comprises the cou
"a, ties Of Colfax, Mora, Taos, San Migu
Santa Fe, Socorro, bona Ana, Ora
81 Chaves, Lincoln and Eddy. with parts
IL Valencia and Bernalillo-a country lart
IS, than all New England. This takes in
Az famous Valley ofthe Rio Grande, and
'r- of the Pecos-the finest fruit sections
q the west,
or This Territory is rich in everything Il
no constitutes the Wealth of Nations. lr
,s9 coal, lead, silver, gold, mica, limesto
sandstone. marbles, gypsum, o in 81
'es ess variety and exhaustless quaDt1ti
are among the several products of
country which Las Vegas comman
IN. Sheep, cattle and lumber abound, so t
n, In each of these prime articles of CONNIE
this city Ia the best market in New Mex
OF She handles more wool than all the OF
towns la the TERRITORY combined, wi
her commerce In hides is truly enormo
10 the same way, she stands pre-emin
IN for her trade in grains, hay, vegetao
III and other farm products: while her tn
In ice, gathered in the n~eigbboriug mo
~ tain canvons extends east into Kan