The Florence tribune., 1897-07-03
THE CASA eRANDE VALLEY.
Information for Those Seeking Homes In e.Garden Spot of the West.

 information for Those Seeking Homes
 In the,Garden Spot of the West.
 Pinal county was organized in 1875 from portions of Pima. Maricopa and 1aVapal counties, and contains an area of s,s6s square miles, or g. 4S5. .520 acres, ope-thlrd or when could be made productive by systematic storage of the surplus water nov rahnlns so waste. Next to Marieopa 1t is the most lir- portant agricultural county inthe Territory. 1t 1t traversed from east to west py the Southera Pacific railroad, and a branen pl the great Santa Fe system Is now approach jag from the north. The objective point or this road is connection with the sonora roaa of tke same system. The Southern Tempe, and it is confidently believed that work will not cease until tAe Deer Cresk coal fields are reached and connection IS made with another branch of tkat road run- ming freM Bowie to Globe and ROW eomplet- ed to Fort Thomas.
 Thus it will be seen tkat Final county ls the theater of railroad building at the pres ent tiTae, and inside of a year Florence, the county seat, will be
 RAILROAD CENTER.
 At present it contains a population Eof about 1500 but with the completion of these two railroads a2d the Butte reservoir nc city in Arizona caH approach 1t for HaturNi advantages, and large increase In popuia- tien will follow. Florence is at an eleyatloh sf 1858 feet sbsve sea level, situated near the Gila river, tweaty-six miles EorthweSt CT !hS , W it is connected by an elegantly equipped daily stage line. Going and coming stages run by tAe old Casa Grande ruins anu passengers are allowed short time TO IT. snect theIz. There are H1aHy handsome pri- Vate.residenees in Florence, several Dricn stores, gcod hotel, an excellent sraaeu school employing four teaeheeTs, e aISs, paper tthe only one in the county anu tne handssmest court house in the IerrItor,y. Here is held the United States Court Tor laS tnS sfistrict composed of Gila, Graham ana Pinal counties. The streets are Iheo MI.a a shade trees which impart an air Of comiort on the warmest days
 PRODUCTS OF THE VALLEY.
 Unlike the Salt river, the waters of the Gila are fresh and pure; the soil contains no alkali is deep, rich gray ash, especially adapted to the growth of the. prune, olive, almoAd. peach, fig, pear, apricot and fruits of all kinds W hick 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 Ia tnls valley, and wine and raisin culture is destin- ed to become prominent industry. Sltrus fruits have been cultivated to limited in the aeighborhoed of Florence which bear their goiden fruit each year without pro lection aud few date palm trees are also in full bearing. The season is from six weeks to two months earlier than Southern Cali for mia, which gives fruit growers an appreciat- cd advantage in
 THE EARLY MARKETS.
 The absence of fogs and nightly dews is a formidable obstacle to the destructive and unsightly scale-bug. and the fruits of the valley are ali bright and clean. All the agri- tropic zones are easily grown here, the long seasons giving a succession Of crops that double or treble the productive value of the land.
 PRICES OF LAND.
 Improved lands, with government title and water right. can be bought for from go to $50 per acre. according to location and im- proSements. In tke immediate neighbor- hood and to the south of the Casa Grande ruins there are thousands of acres covered with heavy growth sf mesquite timber yet open to settlement. These are among the choicest in the valley. W ater in inexhausti- ble quantity is found at depth of from twenty to thirty feet; in fact, river seems to be flowing underneath. Here Is splen- did opportunity to take up and improve land with a 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 1t 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 uN1NHAB1TABDg DESERT
 Is in truth the most productive iand 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 capital
  scheme on the Pacific coast that has one-hah the natural advantages and so few engineer ing difficulties as the Butte reservoir. Here nature has built the abutments Tn 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 ssparatsa Dy pal,,fy 220 feet A country is drained through this narrow canyon 200 miles square, representing 40 0O0 square miles, or larger than Maine and Massachusetts combined. The rainfall IS sut- fcient to fill the reservoir twice year, and the land to be brought under cultivation IS practically linlitless. 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. It covers 8 surface of 16g0 acres, with an aver age depth of F feet, and contains about eight thousand million gallons of water. It is sit- mated fifteen miles southwest of Florence. 4 levee of earth has been thgOwn up across a depression ia the plain l{,UOO feet in length. I25 feet in width at the bottom and 70 feet in width at top, to slope on each side, and an average height of 9 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 Sl50,CU0, and sup plies water for 5000 acres.
 Meteorological Statistics. The signal service Of the general govern ment maintained station ct Florence from from July, 1880, to April 1892, gives the follow ing statistics, which may be taken as safe guide to the prevailing temperature given during the series of six yeas:
 1880. Mean. Max. Min. July .................-...-. s56 III q