The Florence tribune., 1898-11-12
THE CASA eRANDE VALLEY.
information for Those Seeking Homes
 In the Garden Spot of the West.

Pinal county was organized in 1873 from portions of Pima, Marieopa and YaYapai counties, and contains an area of !. .s6s square miles, or 3, 1855, ,520 acres, one-third of which could be made productive by systematic storage cf the surplus water now running to waste. Next to Maricopa it is the most i'm portant agricultural county inthe Territory. It it traversed from east to west by the Southern Pacific railroad, and branch of the great Santa Fe system is now approachss ing from the north. The objective point of this road is connection with the Sonora road, of the same system. The Southern Pacific is also building in this direction from Tempe and it is confidently believed that work will not cease until the Deer Creek coal fields are reached and connection Is made with another branch of that road rum ming from Bowie to Globe and now complet- cd to Fort Thomas.
 Thus it will be seen that Pinal 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 a population sof about 150O, but with the completion of these two railroads and the Butte reservoir no city in Arizona can approach 1t for natural advantages, and large increase in popula- tion will follow. Florence is at an elevation of 1858 feet above sea level, situated near tho Gila river, twenty six miles northwest of the railroad station of Casa Grande, with which 1t is connected by an elegantly. equipped duly stage line. Going and coming stages
 
 passengers are allowed a short time to in spect them. There are many handsome pri- vate residences in Florence, several brick stores, good hotel, an excellent graded school employing four teachers, churches, secret societies, a Commercial Club, news paper tthe only one in the countyl. and the hands0mest court house in the Territory. Here is held the United States Court for the district composed ef Giie, Graham and md gipsl counties Tie streets are s ''sd s,sa shade trees, ~ iiich iDnpart an ar or comtort on he WarmeSt days.
 PRODUCTS OF THE VALLEY.
 Unlike the Salt river, the waters of the iila are fresh and purei the soil contains no alkali, IS deep, rich gray ash, especially adapted to the growth of the. prtine, olive, 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 in the most prolific manner. The grape does exceptionally well ln this valley, and wine and raisin culture is destin- ed to become prominent industry. Citrus fruits have been cultivated to q limited extent; there are a number of orange trees in the neighborhood of Florence which bear their golden fruit each year without pro- lection, and few date palm trees are also in full bearing. The season is from six weeks to two months earher than Southern Califor- mia, which gives fruit growers an appreciat- ed advantage in
 THE 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 agri- 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 so to $50 per acre, according to location and im- provemeuts. In the immediate neighbor- 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 inexhausti- ble quantity is found nt 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 Hand 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 USINHABTTABLE DESERT
 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-liv- 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 paitry zzO feet. A country is drained through this narrow canyon 200 miles square, representing 49,OOO square miles. or larger than Maine and Massachusetts combined. The rainfall is suf- heient to fill the reservoir twice year, and the land to be brought under cultivation is imitless. 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. It covers a surface of 16o0 acres, with an aver age depth of F feet, and contains about eight million gallons of water. It is sit uated fifteen miles southwest of Florence. l 4 levee of earth las been thrown up across a depression in the plain Il, GOO feet in length l25 feet in width at the bottom and 9 feet in 1 width at top, 2 to slope on each side, and an average height of g feet. The waste is regu- lated by cast iron pipes feet in diameter, 1 ret in solid masonry, regulated by gates and l tower. This reservoir cost SI50,000, and sup | plies water for 5000 acres.
 Meteorological Statistics.
 The signal service of the general govern | nent maintained station at Florence from |