The Florence tribune., 1898-11-19
HE CASA eRANpg VALLEY.
information for Those Seeking Homes
 In the Garden Spot of the West.

Pinal county was organized in 1875 from portions of Pima. Maricopa and 1ayapai counties and contains an area of 5,5os square miles, or SlS5,52O acres, one,third oI whicn ws;a could be made productive by systematic storage of the surplus water now running 70 waste. Next to Maricopa 1t Is the most lh- portant agricultural county lnthe Aerritory. It it trayersed from east to west by the Southern Pacific railroad, and branch or the great Santa Fe system is now approachre ing from the north. The objective point Of this read is a connection with the sonora road, sf the same system. The Southern Pacific is also building in this direction rom Tempe and it is confidently believed that work will not cease until the Deer Sreeh coal fields are reached and connection Is made with another branch of that roaa run ming from Bowie to Globe and now cOnpiet-
 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 or about 1500, but with the completion or these tive railroads and the Butte reservoir ho city in Arizona can approach it for natural advantages, and a large increase h popuila- tion will follow. Florence is at an elevatioh of 1858 feet above sea level, situated near tne t <sila river, tweRty six miles northwest or !ie railroad station of Casa Grande, with when 1t is connected by an elegantly equipped dsily stage line; Going and coming s'aSeS and
  passengers are allowed short time to ln- speet them. There are many handsome pri- vate residences in Florence. several pIick clS stores, good hotel, an excellent graaed school employing four teachers, churches, secret societies, a Commercial Cup, news paper (the only one in the countyl. and the handssmest court house in the Territory Here is held the United States Court tor the district composed of Gila, Graham and Pinal counties. The streets are lined with shade trees, which impart an air of comfort on the warmeSt days.
 PRODUCTS OF THE VALLEY.
 Unlike the Salt river, the waters of the Sila are fresh and pure; the soil contains no Alkai, is deep, rich gray ash, especially adapted to the growth of the. prune, 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 iR the most prol11c manner. The grape does exceptionally well Tn this valley, and wiRe and raisin culture IS destin- ed to become prominent industry. Cltrus fruits have been cultivated to limited extent; there are number of erange trees in the Reighborhood of Florence V hich bear their golden fruit each year without pro ssesion and few few date pan trees trees sTe aIso sEa ln to two months earlIeF than Southern Calitor- nia, which gives fruit growers an appreclat- cd advantage in
 THE EARLY MARKETS.
 The absence offogs and nightly dews is a formidable obstacle to the destructive and unsightly seale-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 the long seasons giving 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 $20 to $50 per acre, according to location and im- provements. In the immediate neighbor- k-. q of hea Caoa Ia 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 at 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 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 UNINHABITABLE DESERT
 Is in truth the most productive land on the globe, and that there is water in abundance 70 Drlns eHery aoeI % el c m Hn1sr srd of eapta to develop 1t. Tbore is no water-storage scheme on the Pacific coast that has one-half the natural advantages and so few engineer 
 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 paltry 20 feet. A country is drained through this narrow canyon 200 miles square, representing 10000 square miles. or larger than Maine and Massachusetts combined. The rainfall is suf- hcient to fill the reservoir twice year, and the land to be brought under cultivation is practically limitless. 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 1600 acres, with an aver age depth of P feet and contains about eight thousand million gallons of water. It is s1t- uated fifteen miles southwest of Florence. A leyee of earth has been thrown up across a depression in the plain 14 coo feet in length. 125 feet in width at the bottom and p feet in width at top, to slope on each side, and an average height of 9 feet. The waste is resu-. lated by 3 cast iron pipes feet in diameter, set in solid masonry, regulated by gates and tower. This reservoir cost S1J0,O0O and sup plies water for 5000 acres.
 Meteorological Statistics.
 The signal service of the general govern ment maintained a station at Florence from 1874 to 1882 The reports covering the period from July, 1830 to April, 1882 gives the follow ing statistics, which may be taken as safe guide 10 the prevailing temperdtuTe gwen during the series of six yeas:
 1880. Mean. Max. Min. July ......................s8 III 61 August st...-.............e3. .e3.J 112 60 September er..................e1.0 107 48 October ......-............. 6s.0 g S2 November .................52 52d s9 25 December. ber...................50. .50.9 U 27
 1881.
 January y..................A.7 7s H February ry............... 547 s5 21 March. ......................547 93 29 April. 691 100 AS May ........................74.7 104 45 June. ne......................... 113 A July .......................g7.9 112 6f August S45 110 62