Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1896-03-25
MIITN IT. NV
'THIS LUCALlTl.
Las Vegas, the Chief City
Of New Mexico Some
of Her Resources,
Attractions and
Advantages.

LAS VEGAS, meaning "The Meadows,'
is the county seat Of San Miguel county
lies on both sides Of the Gallinas river
and, with Its suburbs, has about 10,0Ot
inhabitants.
1t has water works, street cars, arc and
incandescent electric light plant, telephone
exchanges, Territorial agricultural expert
ment station, headquarters Of the 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 plant
In the United States. sv7 "
West Of the river, the old town has the
quaint and picturesque Mexican appear
ace = 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 well-illed
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 convenlences
A city hall, three public school buildings,
court. house, Masonic temple, opera house.
Normal school and Territorial
Insane asylum are public buildings, SON
structed of red and white cut sandstone,
unsurpassed in beauty by similar edifices
any town, of equal size, in the States.
An Academy, Seminary, Jesuit college,
Convent school, Presbyterian Mission
Methodist manual training school,
Christian Brothers, institute, City high
school, three graded public schools, a kin
iergarten, a commercial school and two
schools, besides several private teach
srs, are among the educational advantages
and facilities.
LAS VEGAS Is the natural sanatorium of
the United States, combining more nat
lral advantages than any other place 10
America. Her thermal waters are the
,quali of the Hot Springs of Arkansas,
her climate is infinitely superior.
There Ia no malaria, no excessive heat or
cold, no gnats, rats or mosquitoes. The
air Is pure, dry, rarified, and highly cleo
.rified-a certain cure for consumption, IL
disease be taken In time. The hot
Y aters are q specific for liver, skin, rheu-
q attic and blood disorders. Her Montezu-
ma hotel is the finest hosiery between
Chicago and California, and is situated in
! 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 6, 800 feet. This combination gives
! peculiar, but most happy, result. In the
during the day, the thermometer
falls, in the shade, below forty de-
yrees, while it often runs, in the sunshine,
sixty-ive degrees-or even more. On
he other hand, In the summer, the heat fs
oppressive, II the shade, and no
is too warm for comfortable sleep,
lnder one9or two blankets. The sun will
nine days out Of every ten, the year
'ound. This, with the extreme dryness of
he air, caused by the very slight precipi-
alton of moisture; the resinous aroma,
'olling down from the pine clad noun
aims; the large amount of electricity In
u0 dAts dlu buC COuoCqucAt OLOuc, I6Sult-
ng from thealtitude; and the location of the
own, land-locked by mountain and mesa
all conspire to produce an atmos-
here which is q balm to all diseases of the
organs. The percentage Of
leath from consumption Is lower In New
dexico than IL Is anywhere else Ia the
United States; and no other place In New
its climate. Asthmattcs experience
and permanent relief, in this
In the way of health and pleasure re-
orts, Las Vegas IL unrivaled. In a radius
Il twenty miles, In romantic mountain |
and beside ~babbling mountain brooks,
re the Las Vegas Hot Springs, Harvey's,
u Porvenir, Sandoval's Mineral Hill, Ro-
Zero Ranch, Blake's, Sparks, Sapello,
o mention, where health can be recovered,
nd life becomes a pleasure to the ennuye, |
he invalid, the over-worked business man. |
LAS VEGAS has two daily and ave weekly |
apers, three banks, two building and loan |
three hotels, many boarding
4ouses, nine churches, q number OF clubs,
all the leading civic and social socie-
les; a roller -four mill, capacity. fifty bar
els per day; two wool-sc0uring establish
1ents, cleaning 1900, 900 pounds of wool
nnually; a well-equipped brewery and
establishment; a mandatory of
,ineral and ~carbonated waters; two wag-
q and carriage factories; g saddle and
arness factory; q foundry. cleo
rio light plant, three planning mills,
nd other enterprises of less Importance.
There are eight large wholesale houses,
those trade extends throughout the Ter
tory, and into the adjoining sections
,hile the volume Of this trade, and the
alne Of the stocks which they carry, can
OF be duplicated west of Kansas City and
outh of Denver. Three merchants brok-
RS have selected the city as their distrib-
ting center, the amount of their yearly
exceeding, in the aggregate, the COM
ined sales of all other such brokers in
Mexico. The retail merchants, of
lrger and better stocks Of goods than do
ne retail merchants OF any other town in
lis Territory or Arizona.
LAS VEGAS Is the distributing point for
early all New Mexico. By the Atchlson
ystem, she -has connection with Kansas
. the east, Colorado on the north, Arizo-
a and California on the west, and Texas
lese, she has more stage lines, connecting
er with tributary territory, than has any
ther town 10 New Mexico. This territory
the entire section east and south
I the mountains, and comprises the ooun-
es Of Colfax, Mora, Taos, San Miguel,
anita Fe, 6ocorro, Dona Ana, Grant, L
HAYES, Lincoln and Eddy; with parts Of
and Bernalillo-a country larger1
ian all New England. This takes In the
Imous Valley ofthe Rio Grande, and the !
IS famous, but not less excellent, Valley
the Pecos-the finest fruit sections Of
le west.
This Territory Is rich In everything that
the Wealth of Nations. Iron,
lead, silver, gold, mica, limestone,
lndstone. marbles, gypsum, soda In end
,s variety and exhaustless quantities,
re among the several products Of the
,untry which Las Vegas commands.