From a cultural and historical
perspective, Las Vegas, New Mexico, was a great place to prototype Memories of Migration. Today the
community includes descendants of the founding families, Jewish merchants, and
health seekers, as well as new arrivals—Hurricane Katrina refugees from New
Orleans, “Dreamers” from Mexico who come to attend New Mexico Highlands
University, artists, and retirees.
Originally settled by land grant
families from Mexico in 1835, Las Vegas became a bustling stop on the Santa Fe
Trail after New Mexico became a U.S. Territory in 1846. In 1879, the arrival of
the railroad transformed the town into the largest city west of the
Mississippi. In its heyday, Las Vegas boasted two opera houses, an electric
trolley, and the Southwest’s first telephone system. Immigrants from all walks
of life flooded into town—from the upper classes to low-lifes, including
outlaws like Jesse James and Doc Holliday, who owned several Las Vegas
businesses, including a dentist office.
Las Vegas became a major tourist
destination, luring visitors with promises of spectacular scenery, hunting,
fishing, and exotic cultures—a world away from industrialized life in the big
city. A growing reputation for a healthy climate and healing hot springs gave
rise to health resorts and sanitariums for tuberculosis sufferers and others.
During the 1920s and 1930s, many
people migrated away from the once prosperous community. A new railroad line
had bypassed the town. A major drought disrupted the agricultural way of life,
and many people were forced to leave in search of greener pastures. The drought
and economic downturn were important factors contributing to the town’s decline
in importance and leading to the Las Vegas of today.
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