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Sunday, September 19, 1999
Las Vegas: Trail Town
Journal Staff Report
The land-grant roots of the 1830s still run deep in Las Vegas, a community that holds strong to its historic past, says local preservationist Katherine Slick.
"On the eastern side of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, it is the last Mexican village. Every other city in this area grew out of railroad or highway development," Slick said.
The northern New Mexico city dates to the days of the Santa Fe Trail.
The arrival of the railroad in 1879 stoked the fire of business to white-hot flames, but it also brought outsiders. Visits from outlaws such as Billy the Kid and Doc Holliday caused a "social confrontation" that split the town in two. The communities developed independently of each other with separate governments and school districts. They were reunited in 1870, Slick said.
Hard times fell on Las Vegas during the 1910s and '20s when the area was plagued by drought, which forced many farmers out of business. The community was forced to rely largely on state and local government, New Mexico Highlands University and the state mental institution for its economy.
The town of about 16,000 now uses tourism fed by historic preservation efforts to bolster its local economy. Slick said the community has nine historic districts with some 918 registered buildings.
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