The Florence tribune., 1898-10-29
THE CASA oRANDe VALLEY.
formation for Those Seeking Homes In the Garden Spot of the West.

Pinal county wns organized in 1875 from portions of Pima. Maricopa and Yavapai counties, and contains an area of 5.S6S square miles, or S,4S5,520 acres, one-third of which could be made productive by systematic storage " the surplus water now running to waste. Next to Maricopa it is the most im- portant agricultural county iuthe 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 road is a connection with the Sonora I, road 9f the same system: The southern 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 run ming from Bowie to Globe and now complet- 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
 RAILROAD CENTER.
 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 a large increase in .popula- tion will follow. Florence is at an elevation of 1858 feet above sea level. situated near the Gila river, twenty-Six miles northwest Of the railroad station of Casa Grande, with which it is connected by an elegantly. equipped uolly SldSe line. NrOHlS anu coming SbuSSs run by the old Casa Grande ruins, and passengers are allowed short time to in spect them. There are many handsome prl- vate residences in Florence, several brick school employing four teachers, churches, secret societies, O Commercial Club, news paper (the only one ill the countyl, and the handsomest court house in the Territory. Here is held the United States Court for the district composed of Gila, Graham and Pinal counties. The streets arc 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 5ila are fresh and pure; the soil contains no Ilkali, Is a deep, rich gray ash, especially adapted to the growth of the prune, olive, nlmond, 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 m tnls valley, and wine and raisin culture Is desfln- ed to become prominent industry. Cltrus fruits have been cultivated to 8 limited extent; there are a number of orange trees in the neighborhood of Florence which bear their golden fruit each year without pro- tection, and Q 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 appreciate ed 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 tropie zones are easily grown here, the long seasons giving n succession of crops that double or treble the productive value of the land.
 Improved lands, with government title and
 
 $50 per acre. according to location and im- proyemeuts. 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 inexhaustt- ble quantity is found at a 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. 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 UEIEHABIrABLE DESERT
 Is in truth the most productive land on the 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 eYer-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 220 feet A country is drained through this narrow canyon 200 miles square, representing 40OO0 square miles, or larger than Maine and ess ftfsefts eonbIned- Tho rainfall is suf- hcient to fill the reservoir twice a year. and the land to be brought under cultivation is practically hmitless. 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 surface of 1900 acres, with an aver age depth of 12 feet, and contains about eight thousand million gallons of water It is sit uated fifteen miles southwest of Florence A levee of earth has been thrown up across depression in the plain 14, ,000 feet in length. l25 feet in width at the bottom and 9 feet in width at top, 2 to l slope on each side, and an average height of 9 feet The waste is regu- lated by cast iron pipes feet in diameter set in solid masonry, regulated by gates and tower. This reservoir cost S150,000, and sup plies water for 5000 acres.
 Meteorological Statistics.
 The signal service of the general govern Inent maintained a station at Florence from 1874 to 1882. The reports covering the period