The Old Town Plaza of Las Vegas was founded by settlers from nearby San Miguel, NM as the Santa Fe Trail gained importance as an international trade route from Missouri to Santa Fe. The Las Vegas plaza is where Gen. Steven W. Kearny and the US Army of the West declared the southwestern United States region was under American jurisdiction in 1846. After Ft. Union was built nearby in 1851, Las Vegas began to flourish and the first American and Jewish merchants were attracted by the growing commercial opportunities. The arrival of the Santa Fe Railroad in July 1879 ignited dramatic boomtown growth, featuring the construction of many fine commercial buildings around the plaza. Today the Las Vegas plaza is one of the best-preserved and grandest in New Mexico.
Plaza St. Las Vegas, NM 87701
photo by Elmo Baca
