The Florence tribune., 1897-06-12
THE CASA eRANpE VALLEY.
Information fer Those Seeking Homes In the Garden Spot of the West.

In the Garden Spot of the West.
 Pinal county was organized in 18lb from portions of Pima, Maricopa and 1avapai counties, and contains an area ot ,SoS square miles, or g. 435, ,520 acres one-thlrd or Whlch could be made productive by systematic storage of the surplus water now runnins 70 waste. Next to Marieopa 1t IS the most iln- portant agricultural county in the Territory. It 1t traversed from east to west by. the Southern Pacific railroad, and branch oI the great Santa Fe system is now approach.. ing from the north. The objective point or this .roa3 is connection with the Sonora road, of the same system. The southern Pacific is also building In this direction rom Tempe, and it is confidently believed cI tn1. work will not cease until the Deer Creek coal fields are reached and connection IS made with another branch of that road run ming from Bowie to Globe and now eomplet- Thus it will De seen that Pinal county is the theater of railroad building at the pres ent time, and inside of a year Florence the county seat, will be
 RAILROAD CENTER.
 At present it contains population sof nbout 1900, but with the completion Of these two railroads and the Butte reservoir no city in Arizona can approach 1t for natuTal advantages, and large increase in popuia- tien will follow. Florence is at an elevation of 1858 feet above sea level, situated near the Gila river, twenty six miles northwest Of the railroad station of Casa Grande with which daily stage line. Going and coming stages run by the cid Casa Graude ruins, and passengers are allowed short time to in spect them. There are many handsome pri- vatesresidences in Florence, several brick stores, good hotel, excellent graded school employing four teachers, churches, secret societies, a Commercial Club, news paper (the only one in the ccuntyl and the handsemest court house in the Territory. Here is held the United States Court TOT the district composed et Gila' Granam sna. ,,.;th a1h shade trees which impnrt 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 .llkali, Is deep, rich gray ash, especially adapted to the growth of the prune, olive, aimoRd, peach. fig, pear, apricot and fruits of all kinds, which pay largely on the invest ment. It is also the natural home of alfalfa, which grows in the most prolific manner. The grape does exceptionally well III tnls valley, and wine and raisin culture IS uestln- ed to become prominent industry. Citrus fruits have been cultivated to limited extent; there are a number of orange trees in the Reighborhood of Florence which bear their golden fruit each year without pro tection. and few date palm trees are also in full bearing. The season IS from SIX weeks to two months earller than Southern Caiiior- mia. which gives fruit growers an appreclat- ed advantage in
 THE EARLY MARKETS.
 The absence of fogs and nightly dews is q
 
 unsightly scale-bus, 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, tne iong 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 S2D to $50 per acre, according to location ana nm provements. 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 settleHaent. Inese are anohg .ne ble quantity is found at depth Of from twenty to thirty feet; in fact, river seems to be flowing underneath. Here Is spien- 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 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 UNISHABITABLE DESERT
 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 capital to develop it. There is no water-storage scheme on the Pacific coast that has one-half the natural advantages and so few engineer ing difficulties as the Butte reservoir. Here nature has built the abutments in ever-iiy- 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 Paltry 20 feet. A country is drained through thls narrow canyon POO miles square, representing 4e. .000 square miles, or larger than Maine and Massachusetts combined The rainfall IS sui feient to fill the reservoir twice year, ana the land to be brought under cultiyatlo,n IS practically linitless. This may read like fairy tale but if is every word true, and has been verified time and again.
 CASA GRAEDz RESERVOIR.
 The reservoir of the Casa Grande Valley Canal company is the largest in the territory. It covers 6 surface of 1890 acres, with an aver age depth of F feet, and contains about eight thousand million gallons of water. It IS slt- mated fifteen miles southwest of Florence. leyee of earth has been thrown up across a depression in the plain 600 feet in length, 125 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-s lated by cast iron pipes feet in diameter, set in solid masonry, regulated by gates and tower. This reservoir cost S150,O00 and sup plies water for 6.O00 acres.
 Meteorological Statistics.
 The signal service of the general govern rnent maintained a 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 as Q safe guide to the prevailing temperature given during the series of six yeas:
 l69O Mean. Max Min. Juiy iy......+.............S .S6.5 III 61