>Is there any way to index a View in VFP5.0?
>If not, how do I take advantage of Rushmore optimization?

Index the tables that the view is based on.

Use a SQL select for the view that is optimized using the indexes you created.
(actually how to use Rushmore is a lot more complicated than a simple sentence, considering the number of books/threads on the subject)

Use an Order By clause in the view definition to make a search easier for the user in the grid interface.

BTW, consider upgrading to VFP6/SP3. I fought for 2 months with runtime crashes, and development environmnt bugs with VFP5. Two hours after installing VFP6/SP3, i had my app distributed and running with no problems. Being a novice VFP user, i wasn't using any version dependant code, but VFP6 made a huge difference.