If you're like me and most people I know, you've never heard of Las Vegas, New Mexico. And the sad fact is that it isn't what it once was, but in its heyday, it outshone that other place over in Nevada. It was founded in 1835, when what is today New Mexico was still Mexican territory under a land grant from the Mexican government.
The original settlement -- today's Old Town (well, duh!) -- was on the west side of Gallinas Creek. It soon became a stop on the Santa Fe Trail, which is what led to its growth and prosperity and also the reason that General Stephen Kearny selected the Plaza of Las Vegas as the site from which he would claim New Mexico for the United States in 1846. A year later the town was also the site of the Battle of Las Vegas (again, duh!) during the Taos Revolt.
And on July 4, 1879, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad built a depot and railroad yards one mile to the east, creating New Town, or East Las Vegas, a primarily white, English-speaking community. Old Town, or West Las Vegas, remained Hispanic and Native American.
As usual, the railroad brought new residents, new businesses, and those who prey on them. East Las Vegas was soon known as a "wide open town," where lawlessness thrived. Among the desperados and outlaws who graced Las Vegas with their presence were such notorious figures as Doc Holliday and Big Nose Kate, Jess James, Billy the Kid, and Wyatt Earp, and a host of other lesser-knowns.
By 1900, this Las Vegas was one of the largest cities in the Southwest (not that it means all that much -- most cities were barely towns) and most modern. The Plaza Hotel, opened in 1882, was considered "the Belle of the Southwest."
Four years later, the ATSF built the luxury hotel and spa, Montezuma Castle near the Las Vegas Hot Springs, to be managed by Fred Harvey.
By the early 20th century, Las Vegas featured all that plus an electric street car system, an opera house, a Carnegie library (built 1904),
the Hotel Castañeda, the Meadows Hotel (now the Historic El Fidel),
and the New Mexico Normal School (now New Mexico Highlands University).
Not surprisingly, the anti-colonist Las Gorras Blancas (The White Caps) was active in the area during the 1890s. They opposed what they saw as Anglo-American squatters occupying traditional Native and Hispano lands. In particular, they were a response to the Santa Fe Ring of corrupt attorneys, politicians, and land speculators based in Santa Fe who orchestrated the theft of these lands -- among other crimes.
In 1899, Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders held their first annual reunion in Las Vegas.
Ten thousand spectators attended. Events included a re-enactment of the charge of San Juan Hill, speeches, a parade with marching bands, a rodeo, and fireworks. Beats me how many years they held it there, but more than one, as far as I can tell. University of New Mexico has a collection of materials that go through 1966. There's Rough Rider Memorial in the City of Las Vegas Museum, but it's closed until further notice. The building its in was built by the WPA in 1940, making it doubly historic.
In 1915, local ranchers and cowboys, soon organized as the Las Vegas Cowboys' Reunion Association, hosted the first of the Cowboys' Reunions in the city. They were held annually from 1915-1931 and 1939-1967. They were a combination rodeo-county fair, with parades, barbecues, and balls, as well as the rodeo. Celebrities such as Tom Mix, big-name bands, and famous rodeo riders attended. In 1952, the Cowboys' Reunion merged with the Rough Riders reunion.
And then, in the 1950s, the car became king and we all know what happened to passenger trains and the cities they served. One bright spot was the filming of "Longmire" is Las Vegas. His "office" is on the Plaza and can still be visited today. "Outer Range" is currently filmed there. I'll have to check it out. 😀
I've visited twice. It's a wonderfully walkable city, the Castañeda has been restored and is open for business. The Meadows is operating as the Historic El Fidel (no website, just a FB page). The 1881 Dr. H. J. Mueller House was the Crow's Nest B&B, but I can't find a website for it. The latest Trip Advisor review is 2017. Charlie's Spic & Span Bakery & Cafe offers homemade Mexican and American breakfast and lunch, and pastries ... I'm tempted to retire there just for Charlie's.
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