The Florence tribune., 1897-05-15
THE CASA eRANDE VALLEY.
Information for Those Seeking Homes
 In the Garden Spot of the West.

m the OaFoen SpOl or tnc VSsN
 Pinal county was organized in 1875 from | portions of Pima, Marieope and ! aYhpel counties, and contains an area of <, 5,SbS square miles, or 3, ,4s5 520 acres, one-third of which | could be made productive by systenatie $ ssorage of the surplus water now rchilhss eo waste. Next to Maricopa 1t is the lnosn m inl= portant agricultural county In the Territory. 1t il traversed from east to west by Chg Southern Pacific railroad, and braneh ol the great Santa Fe system is nov approach ing from the north. The objective point of this road is connection with the Sonora road, of the same system: The soetsnern es- Pacific is also building in this dtrectiop rom rom Tempe, and it is confidently believed thaI , work will not cease until the Deer CreeN coal fields are reached and connectloh Is made with another branch of that road run ming from Bowie to Globe and now coini'iel- Thus it win be seen that Pinal county is the rheater 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 fof about 1900, but with the completion of these two railroads and the Butte reservoir no city in Arizona can approach it for natural advantages, and a large increase in popula- ton will follow. Florence is at an elevation ot 1903 feet above sea level, situated near the Slla river, twenty miles northwest of { ne railroad station of Casa Grande, with which it is connected by an elegantly equipped
  run by the old Casa Grande ruins, and passengers are allowed short time to m spect them. There are many handsome prl- vate-residences in Florence, several brick stores, good hotel, an excellent graded school employing four teachers chufches, secret societies, a Commercial Club, news hahdsemest court house in the Territory. Here is held the United states SouI;s S;, TOT eJ Pinal counties. The streets are lined with shade trees, which impart an ar or coinloro 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, ollye, almond. 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 iA the most prolific manner The grape does exceptionally well in this valley, and wine and ralsin culture IS cestin- ed to become prominent industry SltIus fruits have been cultivated to limited extent; there are number of orange trees in the Reighborhood of Florence which bear their golden fruit each year without pro tection, and fex date palm trees ere also Tn full bearing. Ike season is from six weeks to two months earlier than Southern Cahtor- mia, which gives fruit growers an appreciat- ed advantage in
 THE EARLY MARKETS.
 The absence of fogs and nightly dews is q formidable obstacle to the destructive ana unsightly seale-bug. and the fruits of the valley are all bright and clean. All the agrl- 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 of the land.
 PRICES OF LAND.
 Improved lands, with government title and water right can be bought for from S2o to S53 per acre, according to location ana lil- i,royeuneufs In the immediate neighbor- hood and to the south of the Casa Grande ruins there are thousands or acres eoNereu with heavy growth of mesquite timber yet open to settlement. These are among the choicest in the valley. Water in inexhausti- ble quantity is found at a depth of rom twenty to thirty feet; in fact, river seems to be flowing underneath. Here IS splen- did opportunity to take up and improve land with Q 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 mast a4ili if 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 III 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 hall the natural advantages and so few engineer ing difficulties as the Butte reservoir. Here nature has built the abutments in ever-lty- 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 paltry 220 feet 4 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 sui. hcient to fill the reservoir twice year, and the land to be brought under cultivation is practically limitless. This may read like a fairy tale, but it is every word true, and has been verified time and again.
 CASA eRANDE RESERVOIR.
 The reservoir of the Casa Grande Valley Canal company is the largest in the territory. Itcovers a surface of 1900 acres, with an aver age depth of F feet, and contains about eigh thousand million gallons of water. It is sit uated fifteen miles southwest of Florence. Ieyee of earth has been thrown up across a adepression in the plain II, ,0O0 feet in length, I25 feet in width at the bottom and 25 feet in width at top, to 1 slope on each side and an average height of 25 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 S15O,DOO, and sup 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 from July 1880 to April. 1882, gives the follow