The Florence tribune., 1897-10-16
TtIs CASA eaANDE VALLEY.
Information for Those Seeking Homes
 In the Garden Spot of the West.

Information for Those Seeking Homes
 In the Garden Spot of the West.
 Pinal county was organized in ls5o v, rom portions Of Pima, Maricopa and aayoIlai counties and contains an area or 2'ses sQuaarss as miles or B. ,s20 acres, oHe,third ol "iairn ".; could be made productive bN sss.eili.s.ls ;is .s storage of the surplus water now runliitiS .o wasts Next to Maricopa it IS the most lhi- portant agricultural county inthe Iefrltors. 1t it trayersed from east to west ny ths Santbern Pacific railroad, and branch of the great Santa Fe system is now approachee iEg frsA the north. The objective point oI tbis road is a connection with the sonora road of tbe same system. The Southern Pacific is also building tn thus dlrection iIol tS Femme and it is confidently believed tht;e coal tislds are reached and connection is made with another branch of that road run ning from Bowie to Globe and now eomples- Thus it will be seen that PiRal 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 For abaut l5O0 but with the completion Of these two railroads and the Butte reservoir no city in Arizona can approach 1t for haturai advantages, and Q large increase in popuiia- tion will follow. Florence IS at en eleSatlon of I553 feet above sea level situated near the Gila river. twenty-six miles northwest ot the railroaa station of Casa Grnnde, with which it is connected sy sa sledgaasS rd eaps sqppes seges run by the old Casa Grande ruins, ana passengers are allowed short tima Co ln- speet them. There are many hanuSoIns PIT, Pr5,- vatesresideaees in Florence. several brick stores, good hotel, en excellent graeea school employing four teaehers churcnes, secret societies, q Commercial Cup, a news paper (the only one in the county and ,il the hanjssInest court house ln the 1efrL.oIs. ,I Here is held ths united states S9uIt TOT snd district composed of eila, Grahain s i9s, anh - -Piusl cotIatfes. The streets are lined with shade trees. which impart an ar or eoinlofe on the warmest days.
 PRODUCTS OF rHR VALLEY.
 Unlike the Salt river, the waters of the ciia are fresh and pure; the soil contains no tlkaii. is deep, rich gray ash, espeeiaiy adapted to the growth Of the prnne, onEe, almond peach, fig. pe9r, apricot ana ana .l. Irnl.s Inent. It is alse the natural home or aifaita, which grows in the most prollhc manner. The grape does exceptionally well Tn tns valley, and wine and raisin culture is destin- ed to become 8 prominent industry. cirrus fruits have been cultivated to limited extent; thare ara Q number of orange trees in the zeishborhoGd of Florence which bear their golden fruit each year without pro lection ans a few date palm trees are also Tn to two months eariier than Southern Caiifor nia, which gives fruit growers an appreelas- ed advantage in
 HE EARLY MARKETS.
 The absence of fogs and nightly dews is . formidable obstacle to the destructive ana unsightly scale-bug. and the fruits or the yallev are all bright and clean. All the agri- cultural products of temperate and semi tropic zones are easily grown here, the long double or treble the productive value of the ~ PRICES OF LAND.
 Improved lands. with government title and water right can be bought for from so to $50 per acre. according to location and ini- provesneuts. In tke immediate neig hDor- hood and to the south of the Casa Graude ruins there are thousands of acres covered with heavy growth ef mesquite timber yee open to settlement. These are among the choicest In the valley. Water in inex xhausti- ble quantity is found at a depth Of from twenty to thirty feet; in fact, river seems to be flowing underneath. Here IS spien- did oDportunity 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 ot the Butte reservoir pumping will be . thing or the past, and it is only mentioned here Tor the purpose of showing what can be done, and to magnify the further fact that what was once considered
 AN USISHABITABLE DE5EET
 ia 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 scheTne on the Pacific coast that has one-haiI the natural advantages and so few engineer ing dIf1euttleS as the buIIe fSStlND4Is nature has built the abutmeats in eYer-ily- ing rock and all that is left for man to do IS to put in the hesdgate the bluffs when form the gorge being only separated by q pai5ry 20 feet. country is drained through thls narrow canyon POO miles square, representing 40OJ0 square miles. or larger than Maine and Massachusetts combined. The rainfall Is suf- 4ieieut to fill the reservoir twice year, and the land to be brought under cultivation IS practically hmitless. This may read IlISe fairy tale but it Is every word true and has been verified time and again.
 CASA GRAHDE RESERVOIR.
 The reservoir of the Casa Grnnde Valley Canal company is the largest in the territory Ifeovers n Surface of 1900 acres with an aver age depth of F feet and contains about eight thousand million gallons of water. 1t is sit- mated fifteen miles southwest of Florence. A leyee of earth has been thrown up across depression in the plain Il, ,O0O feet in length. l25 feet in width at the bottom and 70 feet Tn width at top. to slope on each side, and an average height of 9 feet. The waste is regu- lated by 8 cast iron pipes feet in diameter, set in solid masonry, regulated by gates and tower. This reservoir cost Sl5O,OOO. and sup pIies water fer 5000 acres
 Meteorological Statistics.
 The signal service of ths general govern neut maintained a station at Florence from 1871 to 1882. The reports covering the period from July. 1880, to April, 1882, 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.