The Florence tribune., 1899-04-08
THE CASA GRANDe 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 Yayapai counties. and contains an area of 5,S66 square mics, or S, ,4S0 ,520 acres, One-third of which could be made productive by a systematic storage Cf the surplus water now running to waste Next to Maricopa it is the most ini- portant agricultural county in the Territory. 1t it trayersed from east to west by the southern Pacific railroad, and branch of the great Santa Fe system is now approach Ing from the north. l hs objective point of th1s road is 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 Creek coal fields are reached and connection Is made with another branch of that road rum ming from Bowie to Globe and now complet-. cd 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 a year Florence, the county seat will be
 RAILROAD CENTER.
 At present it contains a population of about 1500, but with the completion of these two railroads and the Butte reservoir no city in Arizona can approach it for natural advantages, and a large increase in popula- tion will follow. Florence is at an elevation ot 155S feet abeve 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 daily stage line. Going and coming stages 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 stores, good hotel, an excellent graded school employing four teachers, churches, secret societies Commercial Club, news paper (the only one in 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 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 GIla are fresh and pure; the soil contains no 1Hxali, is a 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 alfaifa, which grows in the most prolific manner. The grape does exceptionally well ln this valley, and wine and raisin culture IS destin- ed to become prominent industry. Cltrus fruits have been cultivated to a limited extent; there are a number of orange trees in the neighborhood of Florence which bear their golden fruit each year without pro tectioH, and few date palm trees are also Tn full bearing. The season is from six weeks to two months earlIer than SouthernC Calfor- nia, which gives fruit growers an appreciat- ed advantage in
 THE EARLY MARKETS.
 The absence of fogs and nightly dews is a formidable obstacle to the destructive and unsightly scale-bug. and the fruits of the valley are all bright and clean. All the agrl- cultural products of temperate and semi tropie zones are easily grown here, the long seasons giving a succession or 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 lm- provements. 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 vet open to settlement. These are among the choicest in the valley. Water in inexhaIisti- 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 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 to bring every foot of 1t under cultivation, only waiting TOT the magic Whnu or cdpital to develop it. There Is no water-storage scheme on the Pacific coast that has one-hah sthe 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 sthe gorge being only separated by paltry '220 feet. A country is drained through this canyon 20O miles square, representing 70, 900 square miles, or larger than Maine and ;Massachusetts combined: The rainfall IS sui; ficient 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 GRAEDE REsKRvoIR.
 The reservoir of the Casa Grande Valley Canal company is the largest in the territory. It covers surface of i600 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 leyee of earth has been thrown up across a depression in the plain II. 600 feet in length. 125 feet in width at the bottom and 9 feet in width at top. to 1 slope on each side, and an average height of 9 feet. The waste is regu- lated by g east iron pipes feet in diameter, set in solid masonry, regulated by gates and tower. This reservoir cost S15O,cO0. and sup plies water for 5000 acres.
 Meteorological Statistics.
 The signal service of the general govern ment maintained station at Florence from from July 1880, to April, 1882 gives the follow Ing statistics which may be taken as a safe guide to the prevailing temperature given during the series of six yeas: