The Florence tribune., 1897-07-10
THE CASA eRANDE VALLEY.
Information for Those Seeking Homes
 la the Garden Spot of the West.

 Information for Those Seeking Homes
 la the Garden Spot of the West.
 Pinal county was organized in l6l5 from portions of Pima, Aarieopa and s aYapai W counties, and contains an area ot s,s1s square miles, or 435,520 acres one-thlrd CT whlch could be made productive by a systematic storage of the surplus water now running 10 waste, Next to Maricopn 1t is the most im- portant agricultural county tn the 1efflOors. 1t it traversed from east to west by the Southern Pacific railroad, aud a branch or the great Santa Fe system is now approach. ing from the Aorth- The objective point or this road Is a connection with the sonora road of tke same system. The Southern PaciAe is also builaine in this direction from Tempea and it is confidently believed nh9t work will not cease until tie Ueef Creek coal fields srs reached sAa eotneselo., .I s.,, is ming frem Bowie to Glsbe and now conplet- sd to Fort Thomas. !.
 Thus it will be seen that HiAai county ls ent time, and inside of year Florence. the -eesnty seat, will be
 RAILROAD CENTER.
 At present 1t contains a population fof about 15O0 but with the completion or these two railroads aHd the Butte reservoir no city in Arizona caH approach it TOT R2tursi advantages and a large increase in popula- tien will follow. Florence is at an elevation 'af 1853 feet above sea level, situated near the Gila river, twenty -six miles northwest or !he railroad station of Casa Grande, with when it is connected by an elegantly euulppeu daily stage line. Going end coming sthsess run by the cid Casa Grande ruins. ana passengers are allowed short time to ln- spect them. There are many handsome pri- Sate.rssideaces in Florence, several brieS stores, good hotel, ea excellent srauou school employing four teaehers, churehes, secret societies. \ Commercial Cup, news paper (the only one iR the countyk anu the handssmest court house in the territory. Here is held the UHitsd States Court TOT J tnS dfufV sad raf Pinal counties. The streets are hhso Witn shade trees, which innpart an air of comfort 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 tllkah is deep, rich gray ash, especially adapted to the growth of the prune, oliye almond. peach, fig. pear, apricot ana frults of all kinds, which pay largely on the invest ment. It Is also the natural home of alfalfa, which grows in the most proliEc manner. The grape does exceptionally well ln tnls valley, and wine and raisin cultufe IS destln- ed to become prominent industry. Citrus fruits have been cultivated to a limited extent; there are a nulAber of orange trees in the asighborhoed of Florence which bear their golden fruit each year without pro- tectioa, and a few date palm trees are also m full bearing. The season IS from SIX weeks to two months earller than Southern Cahtor- mia, which gives fruit growers an appreciat- ed advantage in
 kHE EARLY MARKETS.
 The absence of fogs and nightly dews is formidable obstacle to the destructive and unsightly scale-bug, and the fruits Of the valley are all bright and clean All the asri- cultural products of temperate and semi tropic zones are easily grown here, the long seasons giving a succession of crops that double or treble the productive value or the
 PRICES OF LAND.
 Iunnrova,i lands vxith government title and water right, can be bought for from $zO to $50 per acre, according to location and iIn- proyements. In the immediate nelghDor- 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 inexhausss- 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 thing or 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 USINHABITABLE DESERT
 Is in truth the most productive land on the globe, and that there is water in abundance to bring every foot of 1t under cultivation, only waiting for the magic wand of capital to develop it. There is no water-storage scheme on the Pacific coast that has one-haiT the natural advantages and so few engineer ing difficulties as the Butte reservoir. Here nature has built the abutments in ever-liy- ing rock and all that is left for man to do Is to put in the headgate, the bluffs W hlch form the gorge being only separated by paltry 220 feet. country is drained through this narrow canyon 20 miles square, representing 40,000 square miles. or larger than Maine ana Massachusetts combined. The rainfall IS suf- fcient to fill the reservoir twice year, and the land to be brought under cultivation IS fairy tale, but it is every word true. and has been verified time and again.
 CASA GRAHDz RESERVOIR.
 The reservoir of the Casa Grande Valley Canal company is the largest in the territory age depth of 12 feet, and contains about eight thousand million gallons of water. 1t is sit- uated fifteen miles southwest of Florence. leYee of earth has been thrown up across Q depression in the plain IA, GO feet in length, I25 feet in width at the bottom and 25 feet in width at top, to l slope on each side, and an average height of p 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 Si50,000, and SUD- plies water for 6,O50 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. 1SS0 to April. 1Ss2. 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 .......................s66 III 6l August t........-....-.....,..s6.5 112 60 September r.........,-...-.,, sl.0 lg. a5