The Florence tribune., 1898-12-10
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 Yavapai counties and contains an area ot ,S6s square miles, or 5, o,520 acres, one-third or when could be made productive by systematic storage tf the surplus water now running to waste. Next to Mariecpa it is the most in- portant agricultural county ii the Territory. It it traVcrSed 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 rom 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 HOW conplet- ed to Fort Thomas.
 the theater of railroad building at the pres ent time, and inside of a year Florence, the county seat, will be
 RAILROAD CENTER.
 At present it contains population of about i500, but with the completion or these two railroads and the Butte reservoir no city in Arizona can approach it for naturat advantages and a large increase in p0puia- tion will follow. Florence is at an elevation of l55S feet above sea level, situated near the Gila river, twenty-six miles northWest or ths s railroad station of Casa Grande, with when it is connected by an elegantly. equipped deily stage line. Going nIid coming stages run by the old Casa Grande ruins, and passengers are allowed a short tune to ln- spect them. There are many handsome pri- Yate residences in Florence, several bficiS stores, good hotel, an excellent graded school employing four teachers, churches, secret societies. a Commercial Club, news paper tthe only one in the eountyl, 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 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 .5ila are fresh and pure; the soil contains no alkali, is deep, rich gray ash, especially adapted to the growth of the prune; oilye, almond, peach, fig. pear, apricot and ffuits of all kinds, which pay largely on the invest Enent. It is also the natural home of alfalfa, which grows in the most proiine manner The grape does exceptionally well m tlis valley, and wine aad raisin culture IS dessin- ed to become prominent industry. Citfus fruits have been cultivated to a limited extent; there are a number of orange trees In the neighboFhood of Florence which bear their golden fruit each year without pro lection, and a few date palm trees are also m full bearing. The season is from six weeks to two months eariier than Southern Caiitor- mia, which gives fruit growers an appreclat- ed advantage in
 THE EARLY MARKETS.
 The absence of fogs and nightly dews Is g 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 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 Sz0 to $50 per acre, according to location ana lIll- proyements. In the immediate nelghbor- hood and to the south of the Casa Grande rllins 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 inexharstl- bie 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 pumping system o+ 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 foa the purpose of showing what can be done, and to magnify the further fact that what was once considered
 AN UNINHABTTABLE 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 paitry -220 feet. country is drained through this narrow canyon 200 miles square, representing 410oQ square miles, or larger than Maine and Massachusetts combined. The rainfall is suf- Rcient 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