Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1896-06-19
THIS LOCALITY
Las Vegas, the Chief City
of New Mexico Some
of Her Resources,
Attractions and
Advantages.

Attt ta VIVA ~ = <ht ~
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 tie
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 a distinctive American city. Tho
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 la " ms, set in grass ard adorned with
shrubbery and flowers, combine to pro-
claim a cultured community, possessed Of
all modern comforts and conyeniences.
A city hall, three public school buildings,
court house, Masonic temple, opera house,
Territorial Normal school and Territorial
Insane asylum are public buildings, con-
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
three graded public schools, a kim
dergarten, a commercial school and two
music schools, besides several private teach
ers, are among this educational advantages
and facilities.
LAS VEGAS is the natural sanatorium of
the United States, combining more nat
advantages than any other place In
Her thermal waters are the
equal 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, rariied, and highly cleo
trified-a certain cure for consumption, II
Luz ulSed66 Dt bhk6u Ill tlm6s luc uOL
" aters are q specific for liver. skin, rheu-
and blood disorders. Her Montezu-
ma hotel is the finest hosiery between
Chicago and California, and is situated In
4 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
Tennessee, while the altitude is
nearly $500 feet. This combination gives
a narrliar lint pnnet hannU raenlf Tn thu
during the day, the thermometer
falls, 10 the shade, below forty de-
yrees, while 1t often runs, In the sunshine,
sixty-dve degrees-or even more. On
he other hand, in the summer, the hea IS
oppressive, IN the shade, and no
night is too warm for comfortable sleep,
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-
.ation of moisture; the resinous aroma,
down from the pine-clad noun
Iains; the large amount of electricity In
,he air, and the consequent ozone, result
ng from thealtitude; and the location Of the
sown, land-locked by mountain and mesa
pnere which is . balm to all diseases OF the
respiratory organs. The percentage of
from consumption is lower ia New
than it is n where else in the
United States; and no other place in New
Mexico exceis Las Vegas in the salubrity
II its climate. Asthmatics experience
and permanent relief, in this
altitude.
In the way of nealth and pleasure re-
orts, Las Vegas IL unrivaled. In a radius
II twenty miles, In romantic mountain
liens and beside babbling mountain brooks,
ire the Las Vegas Hot Springs. Harvey's,
81 Porvenir, S~andoval,s Mineral Hill, Ro-
Zero Ranch, Blake's, Sparks, Sapello,
sociada, and other places, too numerous
o mention, where health can be recovered,
nd life becomes a pleasure to the ennuye,
he invalid, the over-worked business man.
LAS VEGAS has two daily and ave weekly
,apers, three banks, two building and loan
three hotels. many boarding
Iouses, nine churches, q number of clubs,
nd all the leading civic and social socie-
les; a roller fiour mill, capacity, fifty bar
els per day two wool-scOuring establish
nents, cleaning 1880, 900 pounds Of wool
nnually; a well-equipped brewery and
establishment; a mandatory of
n and carriage factories; q saddle and
arness factory; foun6Iy. cleo
rio light plant, three planning mills.
nd other enterprises of less importance.
There are eight large Wholesale houses,
hose trade extends throughout the Ter.
tory, and into the adjoining sections;
lille the volume Of this trade. and the
alue of the stocks which they carry, can
OF be duplicated west of Kansas City and
outh of Denver. Three merchants brok-
rs have selected the city as their distrib-
ting center, the amour of their yearly
exceeding, in the aggregate, the com
sales of all other such brokers in
ew Mexico. The retail merchants, of
as Vegas, are more numerous, and carry
lrger and better stocks Of goods than do
10 retail merchants OF any other town in
lis Territory or Arizona.
LAS VEeAs is the distributing point for
early all New Mexico. By the Atchlson
7stem, she has connection with Kansas
i the east, Colorado on the north, Arizo-
a and California on the west, and Texas
nd Old Mexico on the south. Besides
lese, she has more stage lines, connecting
Or with tributary territory, than has any
her town in New Mexico. This territory
Icludes the entire section east and south
the mountains, and comprises the coun-
es Of Colfax, Mora, Taos, San Miguel,
anita Fe, Socorro, Dona Ana, Grant,
haves, Lincoln and Eddy, with parts of
and Bernalillo-a country larger
AN all New England. This takes in the
nous Valley ofthe Rio Grande, and the
IS famous, but not less excellent, Valley
the Pecos-the finest fruit sections of
Ie west.
This Territory Is rich 10 everything that
the Wealth of Natl ms. Iron, !
lead, silver, gold, mica, limestone,
Indstone. marbles, gypsum, soda in end
IS variety and exhaustless quantities,
@ among the several products Of the
,untry which Las Vegas commands.
cattle and lumber abound, so that
each of these prime articles of commerce
lis city Is the best market in New Mexico.
he handles more wool than all the other
10 the Territory combined, while
in hides is truly enormous.
the same way, she stan p~re-eminent
r her trfaein grains, hay, vegetables,
I'd other farm products; while her trade
ice. gathered in the neighboriug noun
in canyons, extends east into Kansas,