Weekly Arizona journal-miner., 1905-05-24
Opening of the New Town of Las
 Vegas.
Special Correspondence.)

Ialn SplI m valley or southwestern
 Nevada shall henceforth become a mod
 ern city. With this in mind and de-
 sirous ofS taking some part, or at least
 viewing this sale of an unborn city,
 your correspondent few days ago
 joined the virile throEc proceeding
 to the designated spot-all with the
 intent of assisting to plant in the seem,
 ing desert a city of civilization and
 refinement,
 On the trains proceeding to Las
 Vegas valley we found many officials
 of the railway and other corporate in- terests of Los Angeles, leading law yers and real estate men, men of great wealth, and hundreds of others less easily cireumstanced, but all evident ly imbued with the progressive and changeful spirit of the west.
 Leaving at 7.30 D. i1, 5ne beautiful city of Los Angeles, itself largely the cOnsummation of these same forceful westerners, we arrived at Las Vegas next morning at 9.3O, some 300 miles from Los Angeles. on the western slopes of the coast range. As the trains drew up to the temporary strue- lures serving as freight and passen- scenes on the wharvvs of Dyea or Skagway during the early thrush into Alaska.
 Merchandise of all descriptions ap- peared piled high in great confusion, the few railroad servants were hope lessly attempting to evolve order out of chaos, hundreds of men in varied styles of western garb grouped them selves in primitive and picturesque at titudes like the listlessness of cow boys bronchos while awaiting the touch on the bridle awaking them to action.
 On the townslte proper not struc- ture of any kind was seen, while sur rounding it on all sides and far on to the prairie were hundreds of tents and temporary buildings whose owners were already doing a large merean- tile business, while awaiting the Op- portunity afforded by the auction sale of lots to move to permanent loca- tions.
 Northwest rose lofty peaks covered with snow. glistening apparently in the heat from which we mortals suf- fered; for miles through the mesquite and sage brush could be seen the dusty trail meandering to Bullfrog mining districts, while eastward some twenty miles. flows the water and alluYial soil of the Colorado river.
 As far as the eve could discern, and meeting into distance, spread the vast | Las Vegas valley, with only here and l there an occasional patch of greater | green, where Mother Earth had failed | to retain within her breasts the life giving fluid which the state of Ne vada guards so niggardly.
 Meanwhile every coat is doffed, vhirls of dust arise on the heat laden yrowths. we at last come upon the greatest joy one can know in an arid country, a fine stream of crystal wa er rushing benignsntly through it's narrow channel, in its purity remind ng of Him who bestowed it.
 Fresh from its evident artesian ource two miles from the townsite, md eighty feet above it, some $50 niner's inches of water flowed down ,ast the town to where has been vrenched from the desert s grasp a anch much larger and equally as pie uresque as our own Granite Dells. Until but recently two hundred miles rom railroad facilities, vet here we ound fruits. grasses and grain in lenty, while horses and cattle liter fly lived in clover.
 Las Vegas valley is probably of reater area than the Salt River valley and while it can have river like the alt river to depend upon, it numer- us springs and their character seem ) denote an artesian underfow, while is evident from numerous wells nat water in plenty may be obtained 8 | less than 12 feet below the surface S Undoubtedly the flow from exist I lg springs can easily be doubled and l Dssibly trebled. t At present some 600 head of horses V re engaged in hauling freight to the c ming camps of Bullfrog and Rhyo- f te, 1O6 miles from Las Vegas. The t