Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1896-05-04
Las Vegas, the Chief City
of New Mexico Some
of Her Resources,
Attractions and
Advantages.

son railway system, New Mexico division
together with railroad machine shops ant
tie preserving works, stock yards, and th'
largest sheep shearing and dipping plan
In the United States.
West Of the river, the old town has th,
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. Thu
streets are wide and we'll graded. Will,
sidewalks abound, shaded with growing
trees. Three parks, filed with grass anC
trees, add to the beauty and healthfulnes
Of the place. Handsome and we'll filled
stores, beautiful residences, and innumera'
Bile la ms, set in grass and adorned with
%shrubbery and flowers, combine to pro.
claim a cultured community, possessed o.
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
structed Of red and white cut sandstone
unsurpassed in beauty by similar edifcei
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.
the United States, combining more nat
ural advantages than any other place In
America. Her thermal waters are the
equali 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, rarified, and highly cleo
trif1ed-a certain cure for consumption, II
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 finest hosiery between
Chicago and Califoi mia, 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
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-five 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 is q 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 New
Mexico excels Las Vegas in the salubrlty
of its climate. Astnnatics experience
immediate and permanent relief, in this
altitude.
In the way of health and pleasure re-
sorts, Las Vegas Nv unrivaled. In a radius
OF twenty miles, in romantic mountain
gleps and beside babhling mountain brooks,
are the Las Vegas Hot Springs, Harvey's,
Ell P%orvenir, S~andoval'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, the over-worked business man.
LAS VEGAS has two daily and Ave weekly
papers, three banks, tw 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
r.ls per day two wool-scouring esta blish-
ments, cleaning 1900, 900 pounds of wool
annually; a we'll equipped brewery and
bottling establishment; a mandatory OF
mineral and carbonated waters; W 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, 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 mou of their yearly
sales exceeding, in the aggregate, the com
bined sales Of all other such brokers in
New Mexico. The retail merchants, of
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
system, she has connection with Kansas
on the cost, Colorado on the north, Arizo-
ma and California on the west, and Texas
anil ola Movicn on kha smith Residas
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-
ties Of Colfax, Mora, Taos, San Miguel,
Santa Fe, Socorro,. Dona Ana, Grant.
Chaves, Lincoln and Eddy, with parts of
Valencia and Bernalillc-a country larger
than all Now England. This takes in the
famous Valley ofthe Rio Grande, and the
less famous, but not less excellent, Valley
of the Pecos-the finest fruit sections Of
the west.
This Territory is rich 10 everything that
constitutes the Wealth OF Nations. Iron,
coal, lead, silver, gold, mica, 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, 30 that
10 each OF these prime articles OF commerce
this city is the best market 10 New Mexico.
She handles more wool than all the other
towns in the Territory combined, while
her in hides is truly enormous.
10 the same way, she stands pre-eminent
for her trade in grains, hay, vegetables,
and other farm products; while her trade
in ice, gathered in the ~neighboriug noun
tain canyons, extends east into Kansas,
west iato Arizona, and south into Old
Mexico.
J.. K. Ak11N J. M. D. HOWARD