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==History== [[File:Plaza Hotel LasVegasNM.jpg|left|thumb|The [[Plaza Hotel (Las Vegas, New Mexico)|Plaza Hotel]], built in 1881, on the Plaza of West Las Vegas]] [[File:New Mexico Insane Asylum, Las Vegas, New Mexico (1904).jpg|thumb|right|New Mexico Insane Asylum in Las Vegas, 1904]] Las Vegas was established in 1835 after a group of settlers received a land grant from the [[Mexico|Mexican]] government. (The land had previously been granted to [[Baca family of New Mexico#Cabeza de Baca family|Luis María Cabeza de Baca]], whose family later received a settlement.) The town was laid out in the traditional Spanish Colonial style, with a central plaza surrounded by buildings which could serve as fortifications in case of attack. Las Vegas soon prospered as a stop on the [[Santa Fe Trail]]. During the [[Mexican–American War]] in 1846, [[Stephen W. Kearny]] delivered an address at the Plaza of Las Vegas claiming New Mexico for the United States. In 1847, the town was the site of the [[Taos Revolt#Further fighting|Battle of Las Vegas]], which was a part of the broader [[Taos Revolt]] by local Hispanos and Pueblo peoples against United States occupation. In 1860, the United States Congress passed a law allowing the Cabeza de Baca heirs to choose other grants in lieu of their Las Vegas grant.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://lidarmag.com/2009/04/11/the-baca-floats/ | title=The Baca Floats | date=11 April 2009 }}</ref> In 1877 Las Vegas College, the precursor to [[Regis University]], was founded in Las Vegas by a group of exiled Italian Jesuits. In 1887, Las Vegas College moved to [[Denver]] whereupon the name was changed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.collegeprofiles.com/regis.html |title=Regis University |publisher=College Profiles |date=1991-07-01 |access-date=2010-07-28}}</ref> The [[Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad]] arrived at Las Vegas from the north on July 4, 1879.<ref>Myrick, David, ‘’New Mexico’s Railroads, A Historic Survey’’, University of New Mexico Press 1990. {{ISBN|0-8263-1185-7}}</ref> To maintain control of development rights, it established a station and related development one mile (1.6 km) east of the Plaza, creating a separate, rival New Town, as occurred elsewhere in the Old West. The same competing development occurred in [[Albuquerque]], for instance. During the railroad era Las Vegas boomed, quickly becoming one of the largest cities in the American Southwest. Turn-of-the-century Las Vegas featured all the modern amenities, including an electric street railway, the "Duncan Opera House" at the northeast corner of 6th Street and Douglas Avenue, a [[Carnegie library]], the [[Castañeda Hotel]] (a major [[Fred Harvey Company|Harvey House]]), and the New Mexico Normal School (now [[New Mexico Highlands University]]). Since the decline and restructuring of the railroad industry began in the 1950s, the city's population has remained relatively constant. Although the two towns have been combined, separate school districts have been maintained ([[Las Vegas City Schools]] and [[West Las Vegas Schools|West Las Vegas School District]]). The anti-colonist organization [[Las Gorras Blancas]] was active in the area in the 1890s. ===Cowboy Reunions=== Beginning in 1915, the Las Vegas Cowboys' Reunions were held annually until 1931; then in 1939, the Cowboys' Reunions were re-established. Their slogan was, "Git Fer Vegas, Cowboy!" These reunions were organized by a group of ranching families and cowboys which soon became the Las Vegas Cowboys' Reunion Association. The Reunions celebrated ranching life, which began in northern [[New Mexico]] in the early 1800s and continues into the 21st century. The annual affair included pie eating contests, barbecues, parades, banquets, balls, and "ranch rodeos." In the early years, celebrities—cowhands as well as big-name bands, movie stars like [[Tom Mix]], and artists such as [[Randall Davey]]—came to Las Vegas for this event. In later years, famous cowhands participated in the Cowboys' Reunion Rodeos. The Cowboys' Reunions reflected the occupations of the area and attracted huge crowds for their four days of events. In 1952, the Cowboys' Reunion Association invited the Rough Riders Association to join them at the annual rodeo.<ref>Romero Pat,"Cowboy Reunions of Las Vegas New Mexico," (The history press 2012)</ref> ===Outlaws=== The arrival of the railroad in 1879 brought with it businesses, development and new residents, both respectable and dubious. Murderers, robbers, thieves, gamblers, gunmen, swindlers, [[vagrants]], and [[tramp]]s poured in, transforming the eastern side of the settlement into a virtually lawless brawl. Among the notorious characters were such legends of the Old West as: dentist [[Doc Holliday]] and his girlfriend [[Big Nose Kate]], [[Dave Rudabaugh]], [[Jesse James]], [[Billy the Kid]], [[Wyatt Earp]], [[Mysterious Dave Mather]], [[Hoodoo Brown]], and Handsome Harry the Dancehall Rustler.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.legendsofamerica.com/NM-LasVegas.html |title=New Mexico Legends - Las Vegas - As Wicked as Dodge City |publisher=Legends of America |access-date=2012-07-13}}</ref> Historian [[Ralph Emerson Twitchell]] once claimed regarding the Old West, "Without exception there was no town which harbored a more disreputable gang of desperadoes and outlaws than did Las Vegas."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.edge.net/~dphillip/Outlaw.html |title=LAS VEGAS, NEW MEXICO - The Outlaw and a Politician |publisher=Edge.net |date=1974-08-22 |access-date=2010-07-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161010214141/http://www.edge.net/~dphillip/Outlaw.html |archive-date=2016-10-10 |url-status=dead }}</ref> {{wide image|Panorama of Las Vegas, New Mexico (circa 1910-1920) .jpg|900px|{{circa|1910}}–1920}}
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