The Florence tribune., 1898-05-14
THE CASA eRANDe VALLEY.
information for Those Seeking Homes
 In the Garden Spot of the West.

Pinal county was organized in lSss rom 2 portions of Pima, Maricopa and daVapsI counties and contains an area of o, ,Soo squar1 ' miles or S,is5, ,520 acres, one-third oI MniGsn Ms 2 could be made productive py sys.einiu,to syi ~ l storage of the surplus water now ruhhihS .o waste. Next to Maricopa 1t IS the most III :portant agricultural county lnthe lerrtorTy. 1t it traversed from east to wess Ds 'nT n9 the great Santa Fe system Is now approachee ing from the north. The objective polnI oa this read is connection with the oohora o9 road. of the same system. The Soutnern Pacific is also building in this direction rom Tempe, and it is confidently believed thal work s T sos seasg rscbsa sns and Sne connection is made with another branch Of that roau run i ming from Bowie to Globe and now eompiet- Thus it will he seen that Pinal county Is the tbeaTer of railroad building at the pres sent time, and inside of year Florence, the county seat will be
 RAILROAD CENTER.
 At present it contains Q population .of abanf 1500 but with the completion of these two railroads and the Butte reservoir n3 city in Arizona can approach It Tor hatuTai advantages band a large increase Tn popn;in, pppt;nn of 1858 feet above sea level, situated neaE & the Gila river twenty-six miles northwest oI the | if is connected by an elegantly. equipped | dsily stage line. Going and coming s1ases run by the old Casa Grande ruins, ana messengers are allowed n SnOTt eAhAC eS spect them. There are many handsome prl- yate residences in Florence, several pI1 prici stores, good hotel, an excellent granaeo school employing four teachers, churches' secret societies. e Commercial CluD, news paper (the only one in the countyl ana tne handsemest court house ln the 1efrtol6S. f .6. Here is held the United States Court Tor bhS district cempesed eff Gila. Graham ana Pinai counties. The streets are lined wl.n shade trees which lInpart an ar oi eoiAoA on the warmest days
 PRODUCTS OF THE VALLEY
 Unlike the Salt river, the waters of the Ssila are fresh and pure; the soil contains no Illxali, is deep. rich gray asn. especiItass Ia. adapted to the growth of the prune; oLtse, of an kinds, which pay largely on the invest ment It is also the natural home or ailaiIa which grows in the most proilnc in,allSr. ui.i The grape does exceptionally well III Inis valley and wine and raisin culture Is asstIn- H ed to become prominent industry ,s;tuS Sli;tuSS fruits have been cultivated to ninl.eu ui.ee extent; there are number of orange trees in the neighborhood of Florence when pear their golden fruit each year without pro lection, and few date palm trees are also III hn full bearing. The season Is rom SIX s.s NsslAs to two months earlIer than Southern Callior- mia, which gives fruit growers an appfeciat- cd advantage in
 THE EARLY MARKETS.
 The absence of fogs and nightly dews IS formidable obstacle to the destructlfe anu unsightly seale-bug, and the frsllts oI ,.; Ine vaIley are all bright and clean. All the agrl- cultural products of temperate ana sethl- tronie zones are easily grown here, the long double or treble the productive value of the
 PRICES OF LAND.
 Innproyed lands with government title and water right can be bought for from SZV 10 $50 per acre, according to location ana ln- Drovemeuts In the immediate nelgnDor- hood and to the south of the Casa Grande ruins there are thousands of acres covered with heavy growth ct mesqulIe ~ tlInpsl ska tSe opeu to settlement. These are among tne choicest in the valley. Water in lnexnausti- ble quantity is found at depth of from twenty to thirty feet in fact riyer seems seems to be flowing underneath. Here IS splen- did opportunity to take up and Improve land with pumping system of lrrlgation' which is said to be successful on small tracts However with the completion of the Butte reservoir, pumping will be a thing oI tne past, and it is only mentioned here Tor Int N purpose of showing what can be done anu tc magnify the further fact that what was onct considered
 AN uxINHABITABLE DESERT
 Is in truth the most productive land on thu gloha and that there is water in abundanc fo bring every foot of 1t under cultivation only waiting for the magic wand of capita fo develop it. There IS no water-stoTag scheme on the Pacific coast that has one-hal fhe natural advantages and so few engineer ing difficulties as the Butts reservoir. Her nasure ss ss ali that Is left for to do s1 but in the headgate. the bluffs which forn the gorge being only separated by paltr. 22O feet. 4 country is drained through thi narrow canyon 2O0 miles square, represehtlnl 40OOO s1uare miles, or larger than Maine ant Massachusetts combined. Theralnfall is sui ficient to fill the reservoir twice year. am the land to be brought under cultivation l practically limitIess. This may read like fairy tale but it is every word true, and ha been verified time and again.
 CASA GRAsDE RESERVOIR.
 The reservoir of the Casa Grande Yalle. Canal company is the largest in the territory Jteoyers a surface of 1600 acres, with an aver age depth of F feet, and contains about eigh thousand million gallons of water. It is sit .,atad fifteen miles southwest of Florence Ievee of earth has been thrown up acros a deDressiou in the plain l4OO feet Tn length 125 feet in width at the bottom and zo feet Il width at top to slope on each side, and a average height of 9 feet The waste Is regu set in solid masonry, regulated by gates an tower. This reservoir cost $l5O,OUO, and sup plies water for 6.000 acres.
 Meteorological Statistics.
 The signal service of the general govern roent maintained a station at Florence froI 1e74 to lSS2. The reports covering the per1o from JuIy 1880, to April, 1882, gives the follow ing statistics which may be taken as saf snide to the prevailing temperature give during the series of six yeas
 1880. Mean. Max Mn. al July ......................... .S6.6 III Sl August. -co.9 tds vo September ol.V 40a ao ao October .-....-.--...t...s.- 9o.e s9 s9 Ss Ss November .............. 52I s0 23 December. ................-.. .5O.S ~