Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1896-03-14
LOCALITY
Las Vegas, the Chief City
of New Mexico Some
of Her Resources,
Attractions and
Advantages.


LAS VEGAS, meaning "The Meadows
8 Is the county seat OF San Miguel county
lies on both sides OF tho Gallinas river
and, with its suburbs, has about l0,00l
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
representing 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, hands
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
trees. Three parks, filed with grass and
trees, add to the beauty and healthfnlness
Of the place. Handsome and well filed
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 co%nveniences
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 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 In
America. Her thermal WATERS are the
equal OF the Hot Springs Of Arkansas, |
while her climate is infinitely superior. |
uCAo 4 III hiuiutt uy III o4CcooiFO HOnb VI
cold, no gnats, rats or mosquitoes. Tn
air is pure, dry, rariied, and highly cleo
trified-a certain cure for consumption. IL
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 fines hostelry between
Chicago and Califol mia, and is situated In
a beautiful canyon, Ave 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 G. 800 feet. This combination gives
2 peculisr, but n, most happy, result: In the
seldom falls, 10 the shade, below forty de-
grees, while it often runs, In the sunshine, |
to sixty-hve degrees-or even more. On
the other band, In the summer, the heat Is
never oppressive, In the shade, and no
is too warm for comfortable sleep.
under one or two blankets. The sun will
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
the large amount of electricity in
the air, and the consequent ozone, result
from thealtitude; and the location OF the
town, land-locked by mountain and mesa
all conspire to produce an atmos-
phere which is q balm to all diseases OF the
organs. The percentage OF
death from consumption is lower 10 New
Mexico than 1t is anywhere else in the
States; and no other place 10 New
Mexico excels Las Vegas In tina salubrity
Of its climate. Asthmatlcs experience
and permanent relief, in this
altitude.
In the way of health and pleasure re-
sorts, Las Vegas " unrivaled. In q radius
OF twenty miles, In romantic mountain
glens and beside babbiing mountain brooks,
are the Las Vegas Hot Springs, Harvey's,
Ell Porvenir, Sandoval's Mineral Hill, Ro-
nero Ranch, Blake's, Sparks, Sapello,
Rociada, and other L~laces, too numerous
and life becomes a pleasure to the ennuye,
the invalid, the over-wcrked 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, q 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
estab lishment; q mandatory OF
mineral and carbonated waters; two wag-
on and carriage factories; a addie and
harness factory; q foundly. eisc-
and other enterprises Of less importance.
There are eight large Wholesale houses,
trade extends Throughout the Ter
ritory, and 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
south of Denver. Three merchants brok-
ers have selected the city as their distrib-
uting center, the amount OF their yearly
sales exceeding, in the aggregate, the COM.
bined sales of all other such brokers in
New Mexico. The retail merchants, OF
Las Vegas, are more numerous, and carry
larger and better stocks of goods than do
the retail merchants OF any other town In
this Territory or Arizona.
LAS VEGAS is the distributing point for
nearly all New Mexico. By the Atchlson
on the, east, Colorado on the north, Ariso-
ma and California on the west, and Texas
ana 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
includes the entire section. east and south
of the mountains, and comprises the coun-
Santa Fe, Socorro, Dona Ana, Grant.
Chaves, Lincoln and Eddy, with parts of
Valencia and Bernaliilo-a country larger
than all New England. This takes In the
famous Valley oftbe Rio Grande, and the
less famous, but not less excellent, Valley
OF tho Ptccs-the finest fruit sections Of
the west.
This Territory Is rich In everything that
the Wealth of Natl ms. Iron,
coal, lead, silver, gold, mice, limestone,
sandstone. marbles, gypsum, soda in end
ess variety and ~exhaustless quantities.,
are among the several products Of the
country which Las Vegas commands.
Sheep, cattle and lumber abound, so that
10 each Of these prime nrtici.s Of commerce