The Florence tribune., 1898-10-15
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, Marieopa and Yavapal counties, and contains an area ot } sos square miles. or 3, ,4S5, ,520 acres, one-third of which could be made productive by systematic storage ti the surplus water now running to waste. Next to Maricopa 1t is tho most i'm portant agricultural county in the Territory It it traversed from east to west by the Southern Pacific railroad and a pranch 1i the great Santa Fe system is now approeehss ing from the north. The objective point or this road is a connection with the sonora road, of the same system; The southern Pacific is also building in this direction from Tempe, and it is confidently believed that work will not cease until the Deer CreeA coal fields are reached and connection IS made with another branch of that road run ming from Bowie to Globe and HOW compiet- ed to Fort Thomas.
 Thus it will be seen that Pinal county IS the theater of railroad building at the pres ont time, and inside of a year Florence, the county seat, will be
 A RAILROAD CENTER.
 At present it contains population iof about 1900, but with the completion or these two railroads and the Butte reservoir n9 city in Arizona can approach 1t for natuTal advantages, and a large increase In popu.ia- ton will follow. Florence Is at an elesatioh of 1858 feet above sea level. situated near the @ Gila river, twenty y-six miles northwest or the railroad station of Casa Grande, with when it is connected by an elegantly equipped duily stage line. Going and coming stages run by the old Casa Jfuuue tuAiSs uitN passengers are allowed Q short time to ln- spect them. There are many handsome Pri- vate residences in Florence, several bricK school employing four teachers, churches, secret societies, Commerciai Clup' 1eMs- , paper tthe only one in the countyl ana the Here is held the United States Court for the district composed of Gila' Graham s.l1 ,.s;aG ana 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 ,iila are fresh and pure; the soil contains no tlkali, is Q deep, rich gray ash, especially adapted to the growth of the prune, olive, almond, 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 prollhe inc, manHsF. "a 1s: valley, and wine and raisin culture is destin- ed to become a prominent industry. Citrus fruits have been cultivated to a limited extent; there are number Of orange trees in the neighborhood of Florence which bear their golden fruit each year without pro- tections and few date palm trees are also Tn full bearing. The season is from six weeks to two months earher than Southern Caltor- mia, which gives fruit growers an appreciat- 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 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 so to $50 per acre, according to location and in- proyements. In the immediate neighbor- hood aud 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 inexhausti- ble quantity is found at a depth of from twenty to thirty feet; in fact, river seems to be flowing underneath. Here is a splen- did opportunity to take up and improve land with pumping system of 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 for the purpose of showing what can be done, and to magnify the further fact that what was once considered
 AN UNINHABITABLE DESERT
 Is in truth the most productive land on the globe, and that there is water in abundance oDi1 eferS eI n ueT ',r,d f to develop it. There is no water-storage scheme on the Pacific coast that has one-half the natural advantages and so few engineer ling difficulties as the Butte reservoir. Here nature has built the abutments in ever-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 a paltry 20 feet. A country is drained through this narrow canyon 200 miles square, representing 10000 square miles, or larger than Maine and Massachusetts combined. The rainfall is suf- ficient to fill the reservoir twice 0 year, and the land to be brought under cultivation is practically liTnitless. 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. 1tcovers a surface of 1900 acres, with an aver age depth of F 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 a depression in the plain 14, 600 feet in length, 125 feet in width at the bottom and 25 feet in width at top. 2 to 1 slope on each side, and an average height of 2 feet. The waste is Fegu- lated by cast iron pipes g feet in diameter, set in solid masonry, regulated by gates and tower. This reservoir cost S150,0O0 and sup plies water for 5000 acres.
 Meteorological Statistics.
 The signal service of the general govern ment maintained station at Florence from 1874 to 1882. The reports covering the period T.-.. fcfo 4