Las Vegas in San Miguel County, New Mexico — The American Mountains (Southwest)
Weil & Graaf Commercial Merchants/Bank Saloon
1881
Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, October 14, 2023
1. Weil & Graaf Commercial Merchants/Bank Saloon Marker
Erected by Las Vegas Citizens' Committee for Historic Preservation.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Notable Buildings. In addition, it is included in the National Register of Historic Places series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1882.
Location. 35° 35.614′ N, 105° 13.484′ W. Marker is in Las Vegas, New Mexico, in San Miguel County. Marker is on Bridge Street west of Valencia Street, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 124 Bridge St, Las Vegas NM 87701, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Givens Block (a few steps from this marker); Chapman Hall/Winternitz Block (a few steps from this marker); Baca Building (within shouting distance of this marker); Isidor Stern’s “Famous” Dry Good Store (within shouting distance of this marker); Ludwig W. Ilfeld Hardware Store (within shouting distance of this marker); Bridge Bar (within shouting distance of this marker); Maloof Hall (within shouting distance
this page online
Regarding Weil & Graaf Commercial Merchants/Bank Saloon. Excerpt from "Little by Liddil (Jesse Goes Down)" by Bob Boze Bell in True West Magazine, Dec. 13, 2007:
Dick Liddil went west. He and Bob Ford opened the Bank Saloon on Bridge Street in west Las Vegas, New Mexico. Quickly going bust, Liddil leased the billiard room at the new Plaza Hotel. Ford became a city policeman. Liddil later found his true calling and ran a string of horses for J.W. Lynch of Las Vegas. Together, they raced horses on the east coast racetrack circuit. Liddil died of a heart attack, at a racetrack, in 1901. He was not quite 50.
As for Ford, his stint as a Las Vegas policeman was brief. According to legend, he left Las Vegas in 1885 after losing a shooting contest with José Chavez y Chavez, a cohort of Billy the Kid in the Lincoln County War. Ford himself would be shot from behind and killed, in 1892 in Colorado. He was 30 years old.
Also see . . . Bridge Street Historic District. National Register of Historic Places
Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, October 14, 2023
2. Weil & Graaf Commercial Merchants/Bank Saloon Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on November 23, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 23, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 68 times since then and 10 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 23, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
