Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1896-04-22
THlS LOCALITY
Las Vegas, the Chief City
of New Mexico-- Some
of Her Resources,
Attractions and
Advantages.

LAS VEGAS, meaning 1.-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 an
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 tbs
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 aud 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 filed
stores, beautiful residences, and innumera-
BILE lawns, set in grass and adorned with
s%hrubbery 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-
structed Of red and white cut sandstone,
unsurpassed in beauty by similar edifices
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 sapatorium 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 nc 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 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.
Tn 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, 10 the shade, below forty de-
grees, while it often runs, 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
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-cad noun
tains; the large amount of electricity in
the air, and the consequent ozone, result
ing from thealtitude and the location Of the
town, Unlocked by mountain and mesa
all conspire to produce an atmos-
phere which is a balm 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
of its climate. Asthmatics experience
and permanent relief, in this
altitude.
In the way of health and pleasure re-
sorts, Las Vegas IL unrivaled. In q 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, Sapeilo,
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, two building and loan
associations, three hotels, many boarding |
houses, min churches, a lumber Of clubs,
and all the leading civic n social socie-
ties; a roller -four mill, capacity, fifty bar
rels per day; two wool-scouring establish
cleaning 100000 pounds of wool
annually; a well-equipped brewery and
establishments; q mandatory of
and carbonated waters; W wag-
on and carriage factories; a saddle and
hsrne i;s,t factory n1 ! tb q f0n n'Sniys m eiss-
and other enterprises of less Importance.
There are eight large wholesale houses,
whose trade extends throughout the Ter
ritory, and into the adjoining sections;
the volume ofathis trade, and the
value of the stocks which they carry, can
not be duplicated west of Kansas City and
of Denver. Three merchants brok-
srs nave selected the city as their distrib-
lting 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
Vegas, are more numerous, and carry
and better stocks OF goods than 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
IN the east, Colorado on the north, Arizo-
IA and California on the west, and Texas
Old Mexico on the south. Besides
she has more stage lines, connecting
Ter with tributary territory, than has any
,ther town 10 New Mexico. This territory
includes the entire section east and south
# the mountains, and comprises the coun-
les Of Colfax, Mora, Taos, San Miguel,
Fe, Socorro, Dona Ana, Grant,
Lincoln and Eddy, with parts of
alencia 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
,oal, lead, silver, gold, mica, limestone,
a Udctnna marhIna 0Vnanm andQ in and. |