The Florence tribune., 1897-06-05
THE CASA eRANDE VALLEY.
information for Those Seeking Homes
 h the Garden Spot of the West.

Information for Those Seeking Homes i
 h the Garden Spot of the West.
 Pinal county was organized in 1875 from portions of Pima, Maricopa and Yayapal counties, and contains an area of Sus squartS miles, or 8, ,4s5, ,520 acres, one-third oI Mnic:n could be made productive by systeiina.io ~, storage of the surplus water now runhihs v waste. Next to Maricopa 1t IS the mos. iIn- portant agricultural county inthe lerrltor,y. It it traversed from east to west py the Southern Pacific railroad, and branen oi the great Santa Fe system is now approach ing frosn the north. The objective point oi this road is connection with the sonora road of the same system. The Soutnern Pacific is also building in this direction rom Tempe, and it is confidently believed that work will not cease until the Deer creeh coal fields are reached and connection ls made with another branch of that road run ming from Bowie to Globe and now compie'- ed to Fort Thomas. la
 Thus it will be seen that Pinal county IS ? the theater of railroad building at the pres ent time, and inside of year Florence, the county seat will be
 RAILROAD CENTER.
 At present it contains population toI about l500, but with the completion Of these two railroads and the Butte reservoir no advantages, and a large increase in popula- tion will follow. Florence is at an elevation sf 15Ss feet above sea level, situated near the Gfilh river, twenty-six miles northwest ot the railroad station of Casa Grande with which 1t is connected by an elegantly equipped daily stage line. Going and coming stages run by the cid Casa Grande ruins, and passengers gre allowed a short time to in spect them. There are many handsome pri- vate.residenees in Florence, several brlcA stores, good hotel, an excellent graded school employing four teachers, churches, secret societies, q Commercial Cup, news paper tthe only one in the county anu tne handssmest court house in the Territory, Here is held the United States Court TOT 1ng district composed of Gila, Graham ;1I 1.H shade trees which impart an air of comfort on the warInest days
 PRODUCTS OF THE VALLEY.
 Unlike the Salt river. the waters of the Gila are fresh and pure; the soil contains no .lkali is a deep, rich gray ash, especially adapted to the growth of the prune, olive, almond, peach, fig, pear, apricot ana Irults of all kinds, which pay largely on the invest ment. It is also the natural home of alfalfa which grows in the most prolinc manner. The grape does exceptionally well Tn thls valley and wine and raisin culture IS destin> ed to become prominent industry. Sitrus fruits have been cultivated to limited extent; there are a number of orange trees in the asighborhood of Florence which bear their golden fruit each year without pro full bearing. The season is from six weeks to two months earlIer than Southern CalfIor- mia, which gives fruit growers an appreciat- ed advantage in
 THE EARLY MARKETS.
 The absence of fogs and nightly dews IS formidable obstacle to the destructive and unsightly seale-bug, and the fruits Of the valley are all bright and clean. All the agri- cultural products of temperate and semi tropic zones are easily grown here, the long seasons giving succession of crops that double or treble the productive value of the land.
 Improved lands, with government title and water right, can be bought for from so to $50 per acre, according to location and im- proyements. In the immediate neighboT- hood and to the south of the Casa Grande ruins there are thousands of acres covered with heavy growth of mesquite timber yet open to settlement. These are among the choicest in the valley. Water in inexhausti- ble quantity Is found at a depth of from twenty to thirty feet; in fact, river seems to be flowing underneath. Here Is a splen- did opportunity to take up and improve land with Q pumping system of irrigation, which is said to be successful on small tracts
 However with the completion of the Butte reservoir, pumping will be a thing of the past and it is only mentioned here for the purpose of showing what can be done, and to magnify the further fact that what was once considered
 AN UNINHABITABLR DEszRr
 Is in truth the most productive land on the globe, and that there is water in abundance to bring every foot of it under cultivation, only waiting for the magic wand of capltai to develop it. There is no water-storage scheme the PaGlHc coast blut ndS the natural advantages and so few engineer ing difficulties as the Butte reservoir. Here nature has built the abutments in eyer,liy- ing rock, and all that is left for man to do IS to put in the headgate, the bluffs which form the gorge being only separated by a Paitry 220 feet. A country is drained through thls narrow canyon 200 miles square, representing 10000 square miles. or larger than Maine ana Massachusetts combined. The rainfall IS sui, hcient to fill the reservoir twice year, ana the land to be brought under cultivation IS practically limitless. This may read like fairy tale, but it is every word true, and has been verified time and again.
 CASA CYANIDE RESERVOIR.
 The reservoir of the Casa Grande Valley Canal company is the largest in the territory. Itcoyers 0 surface of 160e acres, with an aver age depth of F feet, and contains about eight thousand million gallons of water. It is sit- uated fifteen miles southwest of Florence. levee of earth has been thrown up across a depression in the plain II, 600 feet in length, l25 feet in width at the bottom and 25 feet in width at top, 2 to slope on each side, and an average height of g feet. The waste is regu- lated by cast iron pipes feet in diameter, set in solid masonry, regulated by gates and tower. This reservoir cost SlJ0,O00, and sup plies water for 5000 acres.
 Meteorological Statistics.
 The signal service of the general govern ment maintained station at Florence from 1874 to 1882. The reports covering the period from July. 1880, to April, 1882 gives the follow ing statistics, which may be taken safe guide to the prevailing temperature given during the series of six yeas: