The Florence tribune., 1898-01-29
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 fron, portions of Pima, Maricopa and Yayapai counties, and contains an area of B. 36S square miles or s,4sS, $40 acres, one-third of which coulo pc made productive by a systematic storage of the surplus water now running to waste. Next to Mericopa 1t is the most inn RoItAnt agricultural county in the Territory. eIouthern Pacific railroad. and a branch of se sreat santa te system Is now approach HE HE ron the north. The objective point of .nls reae IS connection with the Sonora roae, CT tho same system. The Southern racihc Is also building in this direction from r xsmPe,and 1t Is confidently believed that coal fields are reached and connection is made with another branch of that road run d S rem gem M geHie t9 sal@os aud now e1i7fs'ef- , ihuS tt Y 1T be seen that Piaal co43usg Is khe heater of railresE building at the pres snt time, and insi5e ol q year Florence, fhs county seat, wilibe
 RAILROAD CESTEA.
 At present 1t eontaizs a popuIstion gof about lsue- but with tha completion of sAhese ks railroads and the Butte 'rsser voir no city in Arizona can approach 1t for Eatur2 Il novcntages, and a large increase in popula- tion will fellow. Florence is at an elevation SI i9oS feet above sea level, situated near the 6la river, twezty-six miles northwest of the rallroad station of Casa Grande, with which IL IS connected by an elegantly equipped deily stage line. Going and coming stages run by tke old Casa GFande ruins, and passengers are nlloWedA short time te i'm spect them There arc many handsome pri- Vate residences in Florence, several brick stores, geed hotel, an excellent graded tcAooi employing four teachers, churches, secret societies, Commercial Club. a news paper tthe only one ia the county, and the handssmest court house in the Territory. Here IS held the United States Court for the district composed of Gila. Graham and Final 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, 'ffre waters of the Villa are fresh aad pure; the soil contains no Alkal1, Is a deep. rich gray ash, especially almond, peach, fig, pear, apricot and fruits of all kinds, which pay largely on the invest msnt It is also the natural home of alfalfa, which grows in the most prolific manner. Ehe grape does exceptionally well in this valley, and wine and raisin culture is destin- ed to become prominent industry. Citrus fruits have been cultivated to limited extent; there are number of orange trees la the nelghborhoed of Florence which bear ecog ssd ITs,s fsw % rses ape s in Hull bearing. The season is from six weeks to-two months earlIer than Southern Califor mia, which gives fruit growers an appreciat- cd advantage in
 TIE EARLY MARKETS.
 The absence of fogs and nightly dews is Q skOrm1dable obstacle 70 the uestructlNe anu ,unsightiy scale-bug, and the fruits of the valley are all bright and clean. All the agri- cultural products of temperate and seIni- tropie zones are easily grown here, the long double or treble the productive Vaiue or the land.
 Improved lands. with government title and szFater right, can he bought for from SD to es0 per acre, according to iqeaiiSn md ina 1 s.rf4r immediate nf1EHBff- hood and fo the south of the CtlsA eralldss 1 ruins there are thsusands of acres covered with a heavy growth sf mesquite timber yet ! eFeu to settlement ghess are annong tho choicest in the valley. W ater tA mex Austa- ble quantity is found at depth CT rom twenty to thirty feet; in fact q r5*er seems 1 10 be flowing underneath. Here IS splen- Hid opportunity to take up and improve land with pumping sysseml = CT However with the completion ot the Butte reservoir pumping will be thing of the raEf- and it is ouly mentioned here for the s,,,rnoss af showing what can be done, and to magnify the further fact that what was once oonsidered
 AN urINHABIrABLE DESERT
 |. sr t-u4f tho most productive land on the globe, and that there is water in abundance fo bring every foot of 1t under cultivation, only waiting for tae mnsic n 1l seas F scheme on the Pacific coast that has one-hai sfhe natural advantages and so few englneer- tnR ditficHif1eS as In6 DutDc ECSCANOAAs AADAo nature has built the abntments in eyer-iiy- inc rock. and all that Is left for man to do Is fr nut in the headgate, the bluffs which form fhe gorge being only separated by Paifry S20 feet. A country is drained through this marrow canyon 200 miles square, representing 1000 saIlare miles, or larger than Maine and Hassacbusetts combined. The rainfall IS sur, acieuf 10 fill the reservoir twice year, and xhe land to be brought under cultivation ls nracticaIly limitless. This may read ike fairy tale but it is every word true, ana mas heen verified time and again.
 CASA GRAaDA RESERVOIR.
 The reservoir of the Casa Grande Valley CannI company Is the largest In the territory Tt rnvers a surface of 1900 acres with an aver 1gs deuth of 12 feet, and contains about elgnt ffousand million gallons of water IL IS sle- nafed fifteen miles southwest Of Florence. lsvee of earth has been thrown up across / denression in the plain 14 OoO feet in length, fas faaf in width at the bottom and 70 feeI m Viifh at top, to slope on each side, ana an cveraee height of g feet. The waste IS regu- lated by cast iron pipes feet in diameter; set in solid masonry, regulated by gates ana <o-.r This reservoir cost $lJ0,OOD and sup S,Iies water for 6.000 acres.
 MetsoroiocIesI Statistics
 m. sls-aal service of the general goyorn-
 o q4atidn uf Florence from