[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 16953-16954]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             125TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE LAS VEGAS DAILY OPTIC

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                             HON. TOM UDALL

                             of new mexico

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 21, 2004

  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate 
the Las Vegas Daily Optic, a newspaper in San Miguel County, New 
Mexico, on its 125th anniversary. On August 21, 2004, citizens 
throughout the area will celebrate this remarkable achievement.
  The Optic, owned by Russell A. Kistler, was founded shortly after the 
railroad arrived in Las Vegas in July of 1879. Mr. Kistler, who had 
been publishing a newspaper in Otero, New Mexico, felt that Las Vegas 
would be a more lucrative location. So he packed his bags, moved there 
and set up the Optic's first office and a printing press at the 
building on the corner of Grand and Douglas.
  At the time, Las Vegas--or rather what is now known as Las Vegas--was 
thriving. Indeed, in 1890 the population of Las Vegas far exceeded that 
of Albuquerque; Las Vegas had 5,273 people compared to Albuquerque's 
3,785. It wasn't until 1910 that Albuquerque's population surpassed 
that of Las Vegas.
  The Optic began as a weekly--its first issue published July 31, 1879. 
But just four months later--on Nov. 4--it began publishing daily.
  From the beginning, the Optic earned a reputation for getting out 
local news and for providing vivid accounts of noteworthy events. Mr. 
Kistler and his assistant wrote firsthand articles and editorials about 
political rallies, school programs, church services, sports, theatre 
performances and many other social events. Another popular staple in 
the Optic's news coverage was crime--from shootings and hangings to 
robberies.
  The stories featured in the pages of the Optic over the past 125 
years capture the colorful history of Las Vegas, a history that is the 
stuff of legends.
  There were stories of gunfights, public hangings and notorious 
outlaws from the ``Wild West'' days. Also detailed in those early 
issues of the Optic were the births of some of the area's most beloved 
and critical institutions, among them what is now known as New Mexico 
Highlands University, Montezuma Castle and the Las Vegas Medical 
Center.
  And then there are the chronicles of the struggles, among them the 
91-year struggle to consolidate old town and new town into municipality 
and the political struggle for dominance between the local Republican 
and Democratic Parties.
  The Optic also published the comings and goings of legends such as 
Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday and Jesse James. In December of 1879, it noted 
that Jesse James had been a guest at the hot springs the previous 
summer.
  The Optic has changed significantly over the 125 years it has been 
published. Ownership of the paper has changed hands nine times since 
its founding, but it has remained in the Beck family for 35 years.
  When brothers Robert and Stuart Beck purchased the Optic in 1967, it 
had a circulation of 1,200. Today, its circulation is 6,000.
  The Optic reached another milestone in April of 1998, when after the 
death of beloved Optic Publisher Stuart Beck, his widow was appointed 
publisher. Until Delia Romero Beck became publisher, no woman had 
served in that capacity.
  Each publisher, editor and writer at the paper has left his or her 
mark on the Optic. Through the years, its pages have narrowed, the 
manner in which it is printed has eased, and the typewriters that once 
dominated its newsroom have disappeared in favor of computers. The 
Optic has undergone countless format changes, and the editorial style 
found in the paper's early editions bears little resemblance to 
today's.
  But one thing has remained constant: The Optic's commitment to its 
readers and to the people and institutions it covers and its commitment 
to being fair and accurate in its reporting.
  In the years since the Optic began publication, other newspapers have 
come and gone. But for more than a century, the Optic has survived and 
triumphed, each day capturing in its pages the stories of Las Vegas and 
its people.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to rise and recognize the Las Vegas 
Daily Optic and the citizens of San Miguel County on this truly 
momentous occasion. Their commitment to community spirit represents the 
finest qualities of New Mexico.

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