Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1896-04-20
This LOCALITY
Las Vegas, the Chief City
of New Mexico Some
Of Her Resources,
Attractions and
Advantages.

ATTRACTIONS ana
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 1000
Inhabitants.
1t has water works, street cars, arc ant
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 ant
tie representing works, stock yards, and thu
largest sheep shearing and dipping plan
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 we'll 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
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-
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 high
school, three graded public schools, a kin
dergarten, a commercial school and two
schools, besides several private teach
ers, are among the educational advantages
and facilities.
~ N6dAb u NV ~ Aiuhl VI
the United States, combining more nat
advantages than any other place In
Her thermal waters are the
equal. OF the Hot Springs of Arkansas,
while her climate IL 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, il
the disease be taken in time. The hot
. aters are a specific for liver, skin, rheu.
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.
The latitude Is about the same as that OF
Tennessee, while the altitude is
nearly $500 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,
10 sixty-ive degrees-or even more. On
The other hand, in the summer, the heat Is
never oppressive, IN the shade, n no
night is too warm for comfortable sleep,
one or two blankets. The sun will
shine 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,
down from the pine-clad noun
aims; the large amount of electricity In
he air, and the consequent ozone, result
ng from thealtitude; and the location Of the
own, land-locked by mountain and mesa
all conspire to produce an atmos-
,nere which is Q balm to all diseases Of the
organs. The percentage of
leath from consumption is lower in New
Mexico than it is anywhere else in the
United States; and no other place In New
iexico excels Las Vegas in the salubrity
II its climate. Asthlnatics experience
Immediate and permanent relief, In this
altitude.
In the way of health and pleasure re-
Iorts, Las Vegas IL unrivaled. In a radius
II twenty miles, 10 romantic mouutain
,lens and beside babbHng mountain brooks,
ire the Las Vegas Hot Springs. Harvey's,
81 Porvenir, S~andoval's Mineral Hill, Ro-
nero Ranch, Blake's, Sparks, Sapello,
aociada, and other places, too Numerous
o mention, where health can be recovered,
md life becomes q pleasure to the ennuye,
he 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, a number OF clubs,
all the leading civic and social socie-
,ias; a roller -four mill, capacity, fifty bar
els per day two wool-scouring establish
nents, cleaning 100000 pounds of wool
annually; q ~wsll-equipped brewery and
establishment; q manufactory of
and c%arbonated waters; two wag-
IN and carriage factories; a saddle and
rio light plant, three planning mills.
ind other enterprises Of less importance.
There are eight large Wholesale houses,
whose trade extends throughout the Ter
'itory, and into the adjoining sections;
while the volume of this trade, and the
,alue OF the stocks which they carry, can
lot be duplicated west Of Kansas City and
Iouth of Denver. Three merchants brok-
,rs have selected the city as their distrib-
iting center, the amount of their yearly
Iales exceeding, in the aggregate, the COM
,ined sales of all other such brokers in
New Mexico. The retail merchants, of
Vegas, are more numerous, and carry
anger and better stocks of goods thar do
The retail merchants Of any other town in
Territory or Arizona.
LAS VEGAS is the distributing point for
nearly all New Mexico. By the Atchlson
she has connection with Kansas |
N the east, Colorado on the north, Arizo-
la and California on the west, and Texas
ind 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 and south
# the mountains, and comprises the coun-
les Of Colfax, Mora, Taos, San Miguel, |
Santa Fe, Socorro, Dona Ana, Grant,
Lincoln and Eddy, with parts Of
Valencia and Bernalillo-a country larger
han all New England. This takes in the
'amous Valley ofthe Rio Grande, 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
constitutes the Wealth of Nations. Iron,
,oal, lead, silver, gold, mica, limestone,
Iandstone, marbles, gypsum, soda In end
1873 variety n ~exhauatless quantities,
ire among the several products Of the
country which Las Vegas commands.
Sheep, cattle and lumber abound, SO that
n ZACH NJ these urima articles of m arca