Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1896-05-26
LOCALITY
Las Vegas, the Chief City
of New Mexico Some
of Her Resources,
Attractions and
Advantages.

Inhabitants.
1t has water works, street cars, arc an,
incandescent electric light plant, telephon
exchanges, Territorial agricultural expert
ment station, headquarters OF the Atchi
son railway system, New Mexico division
together with railroad machine shops an,
tie preserving works, stock yards, and til,
largest sheep. shearlng and dipping plan
in the United States.
West of the river, the old town has tn,
quaint and picturesque Mexican appear
ance adobe houses, narrow, crooked
streets, native people and customs, handi.
crafts and occupations; but the plaza anc
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 healthfulnes
of tho 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 mi conyeniences.
A city hall, three public school buildings,
courthouse, 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 snnatorium of
the United States, combining more nat
ural advantages than any other place In
America. Her thermal waters are the
equal Of tho 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, rarified, and highly cleo
t~rified-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 Moutezu-
ma hotel is the finest hostelry between
Chicago and Califoi mia. and is situated in
a beautiful canyon, five miles from town,
whore 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 6 $500 feet. This combination gives
a peculiar, but most happy, result. In the
winter, during the day, the therm0meter
seldGm falls, IN the Shade, below forty de-
grees, while 1t often runs, In the sunshine,
TO sixty-iye degrees-cr even more. On
the other hand, in the summer, the heat ls
never oppressive, In the shade, and no
night is too warm for comfortable Sleep,
under one OF two blankets. The sun will
shine nine days ont of every ten, the year
round. This, with tho extreme dryness of
the air, caused by the very slight precipi-
tation of moisture; the resinous aroma,
rolling down from the pine-cla noun
taiEs; the large amount of electricity in
the air, and the consequent ozone, result
ing from theultitude and the location of the
town, land-looked by mountain and mesa
these all conspire to produce an atmos-
phere which is a balm to all diseases OF the
respiratory organs. The percentage OF
death from consumption is lower In New
Mexico than it is any where else in the
United States; and no other place in Kew
Mexico excels LAS Vegss 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 a 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, Sapello. |
Rociada, and other places, too Numerous
Ia mention, where health can be recovered,
and life becomes a pleasure to the ennuye, |
the invalid, the over-worked 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-scouriag establish
ments, cleaning $4,000 0 pounds Of wool
annually; a well-equipped brewery and
bottling este blishment; a manufactory of
mineral and carbonated waters; two wag- !
on and carriage factories; a saddle and
t udc1s light plant, three blaming mills.
and other enterprises Of loss Impotence,
There are eight large wholesale houses,
whose trade extends throughout the Ter
while the volume of this trade, and the
value of the stocks which they carry, can
not be duplicated west OF Kansas City ard
south of Denver. Three merchants brok-
ers have selected the city as their distrib-
center, the mount Of their yearly
exceeding, Yin the aggregate, the ccm-
bined sales of all other such brokers in
New Mexico. This retail INGREDIENTS, of
Las Vegas, are more numerous, n carry
and better stocks OF goods thar 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
sy stem, she has connection with Kansas
on the east, Colorado on the north, Arizo-
and California on the west, and Texas
AMI 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
the entire section east and south
NJ the mountains, and comprises the coun-
Of Colfax, Mora, Taos, San Miguel,
Santa Fe, socorro,, p9aa ANA. Grant
Valencia and Bernaliilo-a country larger
han ell New England. This takes In Che
Valley ofthe Rio Grande, and the
famous, but not less excellent, Valley
Of the Peccs-the finest fruit sections of
The west.
This Territory Is rich In everything that
the Wealth Of Nations. Iron,
,uhi, ieau, eAset, solus MUS iimestonc,
sandstone, marbles, gypsum, soda In end
sss variety and exhaustless quantities,
are among the several products of the
country which Las Vegas commands.
sheep. cattle and lumber abound, so that
q each OF these prime article of commerce
city Is the hest msrkct ia New Mexico.
SIZE handles more wool than all the other
owns in the Territory combined, while
Ter commerce 10 hides is truly en0rmous.
the same way, she stands pre-eminentj
or her trade in grains, hay, vegetables,
ind other farm products; while her trade
n ice, gathered In the neighboring noun
canyons, extends east toto Kansas,
vest into Arizona, and south into Old