Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1897-01-22
THIS LOCALITY
Las Vegas the Chief City
of New Mexico Some
of Her Resources,
Attractions and
Advantages.

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 IL infinitely superior.
There is no malaria, no excessive heat or
cold, no gnats, rats OF mosquitoes. The
air is pure, dry, rarified, and highly cleo
trified-e certain cure for consumption, II
the disease be taken In time. The hot
waters are q specific for liver. skin, rbeu-
matte and blood disorders. Her Montezu-
ma hotel Is the finest hostelry 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, 10 the shade, below forty de-
grees, while ii 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-
phere which is q balm to all diseases Of the
respiratory organs. The percentage of
death from consumption is lower In New
Mexico than 1t is n where else in the
TT-sk11 Ge-&oa. and 80 Neknr a. No L. No.,
Mexico excels Las Vegas 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 is unrivaled. In a radius
OF twenty miles, In romantic mountain
glens and beside babbliug mountain brooks,
are the Las Vegas Hot Springs. Harvey's,
Ell Porvenir, Sandovals 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 ive weekly
papers, three banks, two building and loan
associations. three hotels. many boarding
houses, nine churches, . number of clubs,
and all the leading civic and social socie-
ties; g roller four mill, capacity, fifty bar
rels per day two w~ool-scouring establish
ments, cleaning 800, 600 pounds of wool
annually; a well equipped brewery and
bottling establishment; a mandatory of
min<fal and ~carbonated waters; W wag-
Oh and carriage factories; a saddle and
harness factory; a foundI, cleo
tric 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-
utiDg center, the amount OF their yearly
sales exceeding, in the aggregate, the com
bined sales of all other such brokers In
lew Mexico. The retail merchants, Of
Las Vegas, are more numerous, and carry
anger and better stocks Of goods than do
the retail merchants OF any other town in
shis Territory or Arizona.
LAS VEGAS is the distributing point for
nearly all New Mexico. BY the Atcblson
system, she has connection with Kansas
on the east, Colorado on the north, Arizo-
ma and California on the west, inc Texas
and 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
includes the entire section east and south
IF the mountains, aud 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 Bernalillo-a country larger
than all New 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 In 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 anon the several products Of the
country which Las Vegas commands.
Sheep, cattle and lumber abound, SO that
in each Of these prime articles of commerce
his city Is the best market 10 New Mexico.
She handles more wool than all the other
towns in the Territory combined, while
her commerce in hides is truly enormous.
In the same way, she stands pre-eminent
for her traae in grains, hay, vegetables,
and other farm products; while her trade
In ice, gathered in the ~neighboring noun
tain canyons, extends east into Kansas,
west iato Arizona, and south into Old
Mexico.