![]() ![]() When the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad reached the settlement on July 4, 1879, Las Vegas was the biggest city between San Francisco, California, and Independence, Missouri. By the 1870’s, Las Vegas was a major trade hub, with waves of people from the east arriving daily. Five mills were built in the Mora valley to provide flour. Las Vegas, San Miguel, Mora, and La Junta (now Watrous) supplied beef. With local farmers and merchants providing supplies for the troops, Fort Union infused a lot of cash into the local economy. Army built Fort Union 18 miles north of Las Vegas in 1851 to provide military protection for the wagon trains traveling the Santa Fe Trail. A windmill was erected in the Plaza and briefly used as a gallows in 1876. Though New Mexicans pressed for the restoration of autonomous governance and admission to the American Union from 1847 onward, New Mexico remained in territorial limbo for over 60 years, eventually becoming the 47 th state January 6, 1912. At the time, New Mexico had a democratically constituted government, but Kearny disbanded that and installed a military dictatorship based on the Kearny Code. With that loss, Las Vegas officially became an American frontier town at the beginning of what would be a turbulent territorial era.Īfter his speech on the Las Vegas plaza, Kearny and his army continued to Santa Fe, routing the New Mexico militia, and hoisting the Stars & Stripes over the plaza of the capital on August 18, 1846. The rebels held their ground for about 15 minutes. The Battle for Las Vegas was short-lived. Several Las Vegas locals participated in the Taos Revolt the following year when Hispanos and Puebloans joined forces to (unsuccessfully) repel the American invaders. However, not everyone was on board with the change in government. With cannons pointed at them, the locals didn’t complain. With the city’s mayor at his side, Kearny announced to the gathered townsfolk that they were under the “protection” of the U.S. Kearny marched into Las Vegas with an army of 2,500 men. ![]() decided to seize land along the Rio Grande as part of America’s expansion west in 1846. The peace and prosperity didn’t last long. By the 1830s, there was a steady stream of supplies heading to Santa Fe. Las Vegas was perfectly situated to capitalize on the opportunity. As a result, traffic began to steadily increase on the Santa Fe Trail, which was the primary trade route linking Independence, Missouri to Santa Fe, New Mexico. A change in perspective accompanied the change in leadership, with Mexico embracing trade opportunities with the United States. Prior to Mexico achieving independence from Spain in 1821, trade with foreign nations was forbidden by the Spanish crown. Almost two centuries later, the Mother Ditch continues to run adjacent to the downtown historic district, nurturing yards and gardens on the west side of town. Their first major community infrastructure project was the Acequia Madre (Mother Ditch), an irrigation canal channeling water from the Gallinas River to homes and fields throughout the community. The plaza was used to gather and protect livestock and wagon trains during raids, with the circle of adobe buildings providing strong defensive positions. They built their village in the traditional Spanish Colonial style, with a large, open central plaza surrounded by low adobe buildings. Situated on the western edge of the Great Plains, the settlers anticipated Apache attacks. The watershed from the Gallinas River supported a verdant valley, providing year around water for livestock and irrigating crops. ![]() They received the land grant from the Mexican government about a decade after Mexico became independent from Spain (1821). History of Las VegasĢ9 settlers established Nuestra Señora de los Dolores de las Vegas Grandes (Our Lady of Sorrows of the Great Meadows) in 1835. However, for travelers heading west from Missouri and Kansas on the Santa Fe Trail, Las Vegas was the first sign of civilization after a long, 600-mile trek across the plains. Though it is a (fairly) quiet village of less than 14,000 today (2020 census), it was the Wild West’s version of “Sin City” back in the late 1880s, with an abundance of dance halls, saloons, brothels, gambling, and shootouts in the street. Sandwiched between the Rocky Mountains and the Great Plains, Las Vegas, New Mexico was established seventy years before its neon counterpart in Nevada. ![]()
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