Las Vegas, where??!

Customers unfamiliar with the Southwest United States frequently confuse our home base with the much more well known high-stakes gambling and entertainment center two states to the west. We are located in Las Vegas, New Mexico; not Nevada. We thought you'd enjoy a bit of our local history.

Las Vegas, New Mexico, is the original Las Vegas, much older than its more famous namesake. It is 68 miles from Santa Fe and 78 miles from Taos, and is the largest community in Northeastern New Mexico. Our Las Vegas was established in 1835 as a Spanish Land Grant community. It was the first stop on the Santa Fe Trail for traders en route from the East to Santa Fe. In May of 1846, at the beginning of the US-Mexican war, Las Vegas was the first city of the Mexican Republic's New Mexico territories to be claimed by the United States.

After the arrival of the railroad in 1879, Las Vegas became known as the most violent community of the western frontier. New Mexico historian Ralph Emerson Twitchell wrote, "Without exception, in the days of the construction of the Santa Fe Railway into the Southwest, there was no town which harbored a more disreputable gang of gamblers, desperados, and outlaws than did Las Vegas." We'd like to point out that the place is much more respectable now.

Many of the Wild West's well known names spent time in Las Vegas. Billy the Kid was jailed here and was quoted as saying our jail at the time was "a terrible place to put a fellow in."

John H. "Doc" Holliday operated a gambling hall and saloon here (he left after shooting down a cavalry veteran in front of his establishment). We also saw visits from Jesse James and Pat Garrett. Confederate spy Monte Verde operated a theater here and Bob Ford served as a Las Vegas policeman.

Las Vegas's wild west phase spanned a 50-year period, prompting historian Howard Bryan to label it "The Wildest of the Wild West."

After the railroad shifted its shipping terminus south in 1905, Las Vegas suffered a lengthy period of stunted economic growth, creating an architectural time capsule. Las Vegas has over 900 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places.

Las Vegas's architectural treasures and close proximity to Santa Fe and Taos have made it a popular tourist destination. Its mix of Hispanic, Anglo, and Indian influences have spawned a unique and thriving regional art center. The current population is about 18,000.

The San Miguel Lab is located in a mixed industrial/ranching area 20 miles south of town. We are located here primarily because of ideal water quality for photofinishing, low cost of living and operating, and its central location nationally. But its close proximity to major art centers, its friendly western atmosphere, and the fact that it is one of the most stunningly beautiful places to live that you can imagine, all played a major role in our selection of the original Las Vegas as our headquarters.




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