The Florence tribune., 1898-09-03
THE CASA eRANDE VALLEY.
information for Those Seeking Homes
 In the Garden Spot of the West.


 Pinal county was organized Tn 1875 from portions of Pima, Maricopa and Yavapai counties, and contains an area of 5Sbs square miles, or 5, ,iS5, ,520 acres, one-third of which could be made productive by a systematic storage tf the surplus water now running to waste. Next to Marieopa 1t Is the most im- pOrtant agricultural county in the Territory. It it traversed from east to west by the Southern Pacific railroad, and branch of the great Santa Fe system is now approach. ing from the north The objective point of this read is a connection with the sonora road, of the same system. The Southern Pacific is also building in this direction from Tempe.and 1t is confidently believed that werk 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 complete ed 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
 A RAILROAD CENTER.
 At present it contains a population .of about l500, but with the completion of these two railroads and the Butte reservoir no city in Arizona can approach 1t for natural advantages, and Q large increase in popuia- tion will follow. Florence Is nt an elevation of 1858 feet above sea level, situated near the Giia river, twentyesix miles northwest ot the 1t is connected by an elegantly equipped deily stage line. Going and coming stages run by the old Casa Grande ruins, and passengers are allowed 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 Ithe only one in the countyl, and the handsomest court house in the Territory. Here is held the United States Court for the district composed of Gila. Graham ana Pinal counties. The streets are lined with shade trees. which impart an air ot comfort on the warmest days.
 PRODUCTS OF THE VALLEY.
 Unlike the Salt river, the waters of the .iila are fresh and pure; the soil contains no allxali, is a 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 in the most prolific manner. The grape does exceptionally well Tn this valley, and wine and raisin culture IS destin- cd to become prominent industry. Citrus fruits have been cultivated to limited extent; there are number of orange trees in the neighborhood 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 twomonths earier than Southern Caliior- mia. which gives fruit growers an appreciat- ed advantage in
 THE EARLY MARKETS.
 The absence of fogs and nightly dews is a 
 unsightly scale-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 aand.
 PRICES OF LAND.
 Improved lands. with government title and water right, can be bought for from S2O to $50 per acre, according to location and im- provements. In the immediate neighbor- hood and to the south of the Casa Grande ruins there are thousands of acres covered with heavy growthof mesquite timber yet open to settlement. These are among the choicest in the valley. Water in nexhausti- ble quantity is found ut 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 pumping system of irrigation, which Is said to be successful on small tracts
 However, with the completion of the Butte reservoir, pumping will be a 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 USISHABITABLE 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-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 paltry 20 feet. A country is drained through this narrow canyon 20O miles square, representing 40 GOO square miles, or larger than Maine and Massachusetts combined. The rainfall is suf- ficient to fill the reservoir twice a 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.
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