The Florence tribune., 1898-10-01
THE CASA eRANDE 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 favapaf counties, and contains an area of 5,s6s square miles. or 8, 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 im- portnnt agricultural county nthe territory. 1t it traversed from east to west by the Southern Pacific railroad, and branch or 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 n that .hat coal fields are reached and connection Is made with another branch of that road rum ming from Bowie to Globe and now complet- ed to Fort Thomas.
 Thus it will be seen that Pinal county Is the theeSer of railroad building at the pres ent time, and inside of year Florence, the cohnty seat will be
 RAILROAD CENTER.
 At present it contains a population .of about 15OO but with the completion of these two raiIroads and the Butte reservoir no city in Arizona can approach 1t for natural advantages and large increase in popuia- tiOn will follow. Florence Is at an elevation of 1858 feet above sea level situated near the Gila river, twenty-six miles northwest ot the railroad station of Casa Grande, with which 1t is connected by an elegantly equipped
 
 run by the old Casa Grande ruins, and passengers are allowed a short time to in- spect them. There are many handsome pri- vate residences In Florence, several Drick stores, good hotel, an excellent graded school employing four teachers, churches, secret societies, Commercial Cup, news paper (the only enc in the countyla and the hnndsomest court house in the Territory. Here Is held the United States Court for the Pinal counties. The streets are lined with shade trees, which impart an air or 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 Alkali, 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 in the most prolific manner. The grape does exceptionally well in this valley. and wine and raisin culture is destin- ed to become a 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 a few date palm trees are also in full bearing. The season is from six weeks to two months earller than Southern Califor- mia, which gives fruit growers an appreciat- cd advantage in
 THE EARLY MARKETS.
 The absence of fogs and nightly dews Is Q 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 Q 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 S20 to $50 per acre, according to location and im- .kr Tn, ho fnf 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 at a depth of from twenty to thirty feet; in fact, river seems to be flowing underneath. Here IS spen- 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 of the past, and 1t 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 UNIxHABITABLR 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 , .be pscifc that ha 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. country is drained through this narrow canyon 2OO miles square, representing 4O,000 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 Hmitless. This may read like a 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. Itcoyers a surface of 1900 acres, with an aver age depth of F feet, and contains about eight thousand million gallons of water. It is sit- uated fifteen miles southwest of Florence. levee of earth has been thrown up across a depression in the plain 4,000 feet in length, 125 feet in width at the bottom and 9 feet in width at top, 2 to slope on each side, and an