Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1896-12-02
THIS LOCALITY.
Las Vegas, the Chief City
Of New Mexico--:Some
of Her Resources,
Attractions and
Advantages.

lies on both sides OF the Gall1nas 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 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 q 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 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 c~onveniences
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.
There is no malaria, no excessive heat or
cold, no gnats, rats or mosquitoes. The
air is pure, dry, rarified, 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 MoGtezu-
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 60 the surface.
The latitude 10 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, 10 the shade, below forty de-
grees, while 1t often rJns. In the sunshine,
to sixty-fve 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 p~Tecipi-
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 thealtitudo and the location of the
town, land locked by mountain Ard mesa
all conspire to produce an atmos-
phere which is q ain to all diseases of the
organs. The percentage of
death from consumption is lower In New
Mexico than it is anywhere else in the
States; and no other place In New
Mexico excels Las Vegas in the salubrity
OF its climate. Asthmatics experience
and permanent relief, In this
In the way of health and pleasure re-
sorts, Las Vegas Is unrivaled. In O radius
Of twenty miles, in romantic mountain
glens and beside babhling mountain brooks,
are the Les Vegas Hot Springs, Harvey's,
Ell Porvenir, Sandoval's Mineral Hill, Ro-
nero Ranch, Blake's, Sparks, Sapello,
Rociada, and other places, too Numerous
to mention, where health can be recovered,
and life becomes a pleasure to the ennuye,
the invalid, toe 0ver-worked business man.
LAS VEGAS has two daily and Ave weekly
papers, three banks. two building and loan
associations, three hotels, nan 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
bottling establishments; a mandatory. of
mineral and ~carbonated waters; two wag-
on and carriage factories; a saddle aud
factory; a foundr cleo
trio light plant, three planning mills,
and other enterprises of less importance.
There are eight large wholesale houses,
WuOSC u2u0 tAttuo6 bu~TOukuOuJ UQ6 l0rs
and into the adjoining sections;
the volume of this trade, and the
value of the stocks which they carry, can
not be duplicated west of Kansas City aud
south of Denver. Three m~elchants' brok- |
ers hav 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, ere more numerous, and carry |
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
she has connection with Kansas
on the east, Colorado on the north, Arizo-
"a and California on the west, and Texas
Old Mexico on the south. Besides
she has more stage lines, connecting
Ter with t. ibutary territory, than has any
,ther town in New Mexico. This territory
includes the entire section east n south
II the mountains, and comprises the coun-
ies OF Lolfax, Mora, Taos, San Miguel,
santa Fe, Socorro, Dona Ana, Grant.
Jhaves, Lincoln and Eddy, with parts Of
Valencia and Bernalillo-a country larger
han all New England. This takes in the
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
the Wealth of Nations. Iron,
'oal, lead, silver, gold, mica, limestone,
andstone. marbles, gypsum, soda in end
'ss variety and exhaustless quantities,
Ire among the several products Of the
which Las Vegas commands.
,heep, cattle and lumber abound, so that
n each of these prime articles of commerce
his city Is the best market in New Mexico.
|he handles more wool than all the other
in the Territory combined, while
er In hides is truly enormous.
n the same way, she stands pre-emirent
her trade in grains, hay, vegetables,
other farm PRODUCTS; while her trade
. ice, gathered In the ~neighboriuR noun
ain CANYONS, extends east into Kansas,
zast into Arizona. and south into Old