Historic
Plaza Hotel
Overlooking the Old Town Plaza, the
Plaza Hotel was constructed in 1879.
It was a matter of pride for every railroad town to have a fine hotel in which
to house visitors. Local businessmen headed by Don Benigno Romero formed the
Plaza Hotel Company to provide Las Vegas with the finest hotel in the territory.
The hotel has a coloful history: it was home to early silent film producer
Romaine Fielding in 1913, and the Mama Lucy Gang of liberal politicians in
the 1960s.
More
than a century after it was built, Plaza Partnership, Ltd., acquired the property
and meticulously restored the hotel in 1982 as an object of civic pride. The
hotel boasts a fine dining room and 36 guest rooms with private baths.
The
fertile valley of Nuestra Senora de los Dolores de Las Vegas Grandes - Las
Vegas - was occupied as early as 8,000 B.C. by Paleo-Indicans, then by a succession
of Pueblo Indians, various nomadic Native Americans and a succession of Spanish
explorers, who passed through the area in the early 1500’s heading east
in search of the fabled cities of gold.
In 1835, the Las Vegas land grant was awarded by the Mexican government.
A large plaza was laid out, surrounded by log and adobe houses, which formed
a defensive enclosure into which livestock could be herded in case of attack.
Situated
on the Sante Fe Trail, the first New Mexican settlement reached by supply
trains headed west from the United States.
The Santa Fe Trail brought jobs and commercial activity to Las Vegas. The
town's population expanded to over one thousand people by 1860. During the
next twenty years its population continued to grow and the town became established
as a major trading center - with bustling new businesses and residences springing
up around the Plaza.
The railroad, which arrived in 1879 sparked further growth. Las Vegas' trade
area now extended throughout all of eastern New Mexico from the foothills
of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to the Plains and into western Texas.
Although Las Vegas's economy prospered through 1905, it gradually encountered
growing competition from other New Mexico towns as railroad expansion stimulated
growth in Clovis, Tucumcari, Roswell and Carlsbad.
Las Vegas' prosperity then declined further as a result of a local agricultural
depression in the mid-twenties, followed by the depression of the 1930’s.
Today, Las Vegas’ growth is sustained by its two largest employers, the Las Vegas Medical Center and New Mexico Highlands University.
Today, the Old Town Plaza and surrounding historic buildings retain the flavor
of days gone by and blend with modern culture to continue the area’s
rich heritage.
Surrounded
on four sides by quaint historic buildings, the Plaza
is the heart of Old Town in Las Vegas.
The bandstand, erected in 1876,
is the scene of many weddings and other social events.
The Plaza's towering trees provide welcome shade from the hot New Mexico sun.