The Florence tribune., 1897-05-22
THE CASA eRANDE VALLEY.
Information for Those Seeking Homes
 h the Gardan Spot of the West.

Information for Those Seeking HomeS
 h the Gardan Spot of the West.
 Pinal county was organized in 1875 from portions 0s Pima, Earicopa and aNapa counties, and contains au area or So9 sq utrS miles ol. S.i35 520 acres. one-thifd of when could ba made productive by systematic storage of the surplus water now running to waste. Next to MaricorR it is the most iiIl- portant agricultural county ID the 1ersAtoT,S. 1t 1t traversed from east to west ps eAS Southern Pacific railroad, and a braneh oi the great Santa Ee system IS now appfotcn-- ing from the north. The objective po.ht ol | this road is connection with the sonora road, of the same system; Isie southern Pacific is also building in this direction rom Tempe. and it is confidently believed that work will not cease until the Deer Srseh coal fields are reached and connection IS made with another branch of that road run ming from Bowie to Globe and HOW complet- ed t. Fort Thomas.
 the theater of railroad building at the pres ent tiwo, and inside Of year Florence, the county seat, Hll be
 A RAILROAD oEETER
 At present it contains a population sof about 1890. but with the completion of these two railroads and the Butte reservoir no city m ArtLOsa can approach lt fer natural advantages, and . large increase ln popult- tien will follow. Florence is ut an elevation @. l513 feet aboVe sea level, situated near tne Siia river, twenty -six miles northwest of the
 
 Y is connected by ga elegantly. equipped daily stage ilne. Going and coming stages run by tue old Gaaa Grande ruins, aud passengers are allowed e short time to in spect them. There are many handsome prl- vate residences in Florence, several brick stores. good hotel, an excellent graded sekool employing four teachers, churches, secret societies, a Commercial Club, news paper tthe only one in the countyl, and the hands8mest court house in the Territory Here is held the United states Court Tor s th9 rA1 4~r aaaI Iinal couaties- The streets are lined M1tn shade trees. N hieh inapart an air oi comfort on the Warmest days.
 PRODUCTS or THE VALLEY.
 Unlike the Salt river, the waters of the Giia are fresb and pure; the soil contains no 4ikali. is deep, rich gray ash, espeeilaaly adapted to the growth of the. pFune; ollye, almond, peach. fig. pear, apricot ana lfuits of all kinds. V hich pay largely on the invest Ineut. It is also the natural home CT aiIaHa, which grows in the most prolihe manner The grape does exceptionally well in this valley, and wine and ruisln culture IS uestin- ed to become prominent industry. Slfrus fruits have been cultivated to limited extent; tn re are q number of orange trees In tho Reighborhood of Florence which bear their golden fruit each year without pro tectioa, aad few date palm trees are also Tn full bearing. The season Is from SIX weeks to two month earller than Southern CaliiOr nj which gives fruit growers an appreelat- ei advantage in
 THE EARLY MARKETS.
 The absence of fogs and nightly dews is . formidable obstacle to the destrucslNe and unsighsly scale-bug, and the fruits ot the valley are all bright and cieau- All the hgri- cultural products of temperate and semi tfopie zones are easily grown here, the i9Ig seasons giving Q succession or 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 sle to $50 per acre, according to location and lln- proYemeats. In the immediate neig nDor- hood and to the south of the Casa 6Fande ruins there are thousands oI eefes Sosere1 r's.t with a heavy growth sf mesquite timber yet open to settlement. These are among the choicest in the valley. Water in mex aalsti- ble quantity is found at depth or rom twenty 10 thirty feet; in fact a river seems to be flowing underneath. Here ls spten- did opportunity to take up and improve land with pumping system or irrigation, which is said to be successful on small tracts However, with the completion oI the bGtte reservoir, pumping will be thing of the past. and t Is only mentioned nefe Tor tise purpose of showing what can be done, and to magnify the further fact that what W as once considered
 AN USINHABIrABLE 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;
 
 to develop it. There is no water-storage scheme on the Pacific coast that has ons-half 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 which form the gorge being only separated by pal5ry 22O feet. A country is drained through thls narrow canyon POO miles square, representing 40 600 square miles, or larger than Maine aud Massachusetts combined. The rainfall Is suf- ticient to till the reservoir twice a year, and the land to be brought under cultivation Is practically lirnitiess. 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. Itcovers @ surface of 1890 acres, with an ayer- age depth of r feet, and contains about eight thousand million gallons of water. It IS sit- uated fifteen miles southwest of Florence. 4 Ievee of earth has been thrown up across a depression in the plain II, ,0JO feet in length. 125 feet in width at the bottom and p feet in width at top, to slope on each eide. and an average height of 9 feet. The waste is regu- lated by 3 cast iron pipes feet in diameter, set in solid masonry, regulated by gates and tower. This reservoir cost SlJJVO0, and SUD- plies water for 6.000 acres.
 Meteorological Statistics.
 The signal service of the general govern ment maintained station at Florence from 1874 to 1882. The reports covering the period ru-In Al. E..11I