The Florence tribune., 1898-01-22
THE CASA eRANDE VALLEY.
Information for Those Seeking Homes In the Garden Spot of the West.

In the Garden Spot of the West.
 Pinal county was organized in 1875 from,
 portions of Pima, Maricopa and Yavapai
 counties, and contains an area of ,, ,369 square
 miles. or SASS, ,520 acres, one-third of which
 could be made productive by systematic storage of the surplus water now running to
 waste Next to Maricopa it is the most im- Portaut agricultural county in the Territory.
 It 1t 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 road is connection with the Sonora
 road of the same system: The Southern
 Pacific is also building in this direction from
 4empe 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 Gfebe and now complet- ed to Fort Thomas.
 Thus it will be seen that PiRal county Is the thsater ef railroad building at tho pres ent time and inside of year Florence, the county seat. will be
 RAILROAD CENTER.
 At present it contains a population Eof about 1900, 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- tien will follow. Florence is at an elevation of 1oSs feet above sea level. situated near tho Gila river, twenty -six miles northwest of the railroad station of Casa Grande, with which It Is connected by aR elegantly. equipped daily stage line. Going and coming stages
 
 passengers are allowed q short time to in- sPect them. There are many handsome pri- yate-residences In Florence, several brick sckooI employing four teachers churches, secret societies a Commercial Club, news paper ithe only one in the countyl, and the handseinest court house in the Territory. Here Is held the United States Court for the district composed of Gils, Graham and Plnai counties, The streets are lined with shade trees, which impart an alr or comfort on the warmest days.
 PRODUCTS or THH VALLEY.
 Unlike the Salt river, the waters of tho Sila are fresh and pure; the soil contains no Alkalt, is a deep, rich gray ash. especially l almond peach, fig, pear. apricot and fruits | of all kinds, " kich pay largely on the invest 1 ment- It is also the natural home of alfalfa, l The grape does exceptionally well in this | valley, and wine and raisin culture is destin- ed ie become prominent industry. Citrus oxtenti there are number of orange trees In the nsighborhoed of Florence which bear thelr golden fruit each year without pro- lection, aud few date palm trees are also in full bearing. The season Is from six weeks to two months earlIer than Southern Califor- ma, which gives fruit growers an appreciat- ed advantage in
 TzE 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 ayri- cultural products of temperate and semi seasons giving a succession of crops that land.
 PRICES OF LAND.
 Improved lands. with government title and water right. can be bought for from $20 to 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 1pen to settlement. These are among the choicest in the valley. Water in inexhausti- ole quantity is found at depth of from Q be flowing underneath. Here is a splen- lid opportunity to take up and improve and with pumping system of irrigation. However. with the completion of the Butte eservoir, pumping will be a thing of the | ,ass, and 1t Is only mentioned here for the magnify the further fact that what was once considered
 AN UHIsHABIrABLK DESERT s in truth the most productive land on the globe, and that there is water in abundance Q bring every foot of it under cultivation l . ,nly waiting for the magic wand of capital e Q develop it. There is no water-storage cheme on the Pacific coast that has one-half he natural advantages and so few engineer 4 ng difficulties as the Butte reservoir Here \ ature has built the abutments in ever-iiy- Z ng rock, and all that is left for man to do is | \ 9 put in the headgate, the bluffs which form l he gorge being only separated by pa1try \ sO feet. 4 country is drained through this arrow canyon POO miles square representing lOO0 square miles, or larger than Maine and 3 assaehusetts combined. The rainfall is srrf- \ eient to fill the reservoir twice year, and l A le land to be brought under cultivation is \ -actieally hulitless. This may read like A iry tale, but it is every word true, and has < zen verified time and again. z
 CASA aRANDE RESERVOIR. \ The reservoir of the Casa Grande Valley X Inal company is the largest in the territory. z covers surface of 1500 acres, with an aver \ e depth of 12 feet, and contains about eight i z ousand million gallons of water. It is sft- \ ted fifteen miles southwest of Florence. evee of earth has been thrown up across \ depression in the plain IL 000 feet in length, v feet in width at the bottom and g feet in \ dth at top, 2 to slope on each side and an V craze height of g feet. The waste Is regu- ed by cast iron pipes feet in diameter z in solid masonry, regulated by gates and Fer. This reservoir cost $150,000 and SUD- q es water for 5000 acres.
 Meteorological Statistics. he signal service of the general govern mt maintained a station at Florence from 4 to 1882. The reports covering the period 1 v m July, 1880, to April 1882, gives the follow A statistics. which may be taken as a safe v de to the prevailing temperature given ing the series of six yeas: