Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1896-06-08
THIS LOCALITY
Las Vegas, the Chief City
of New Mexico--Some
of Her Resources,
Attractions and
Advantages.

LAS VEGAS, meaning "Tho Meadow
is tho county seat Of San Miguel county,
lies on both sides of the GalIinas river,
and, with its suburbs, has about 10000
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.
West Of the river, the old town has tho
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
| side walks 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 allied
stores, beautiful residences, and innumera-
BILE lawns, set in grass and adorned with
s~hrubbery and flowers, combine to pro-
claim a cultured community, possessed Of
all modern comforts and tonveniences.
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 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 hign
school,, three graded public schools, a kim
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 Is pure, dry, rarifed, and highly cleo
trified-a certain cure for consumption, II
the disease be taken In time. The hot
waters are a specific for liver. skin, rheu-l
matte and blood disorders. Her Montezu-
! ma hotel ia the finest hostelry between
Chicago and Califoi mia, and is situated In
| q 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
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 1t often runs, In the sunshine,
to sixty-ive degrees-or even more. On
the other hand, in the summer the heat is
never 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,
rolling down from the pine-clad noun
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
these all conspire to produce an atmos-
pnere which Ia . balm to all diseases Of the
respiratory organs. y percentage Of
death from consumption is lower In New
Mexico than 1t Is any where else IN the
United States; and no other place Ia New
Mexico excels Las Vegas in the salubrity
Of its climate. Asthmatics experience
immediate and permanent relief, In this
altitude.
In the way OF health and pleasure re-
sorts, Las Vegas IL unrivaled. In . radius
OF twenty miles, In romantic mountain
glens and beside babbling mountain brooks,
are the Las Vegas Hot Springs, Harvey's,
Ell Porvenir, Sandoval's Mineral Hill, Ro-
nero Ranch, Blake's, Sparks, Sapell0,
to mention, where health can be recovered,
and life becomes q pleasure to the ennuye,
the invalid, the business man.
LAS VEGAS has two daily and dive weekly
papers,, three banks, two building and loan
associations, three hotels, many boarding
houses, nine churches, .. number Of clubs,
and all the leading civic and social ~socie-
ties; a roller -four mill, capacity, fifty bar
rels per day two wool-scouring establish
ments, cleaning 100000 pounds of wool
annually; a well-equipped brewery and
bottling establishments; q mandatory Of
mineral and carbonated waters; two wag-
on and carriage factories; a saddle and
harness factory; a foundry. cleo
trio light plant, three planning mills,
and other enterprises of less Importance,
There are eight large Wholesale houses,
whose trade extends throughout the Ter
ritory, aud into the adjoining sections
while the volume Of this trade. and the
value OF the stocks which they carry, can
not be duplicated west OF Kansas CITY and
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