The Florence tribune., 1899-04-22
THE CASA eRANDs 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 YaVanai counties, and contains an area of 5,S6s square mlles or ,, ,4S5.J20 acres, One-fhird Of " Inch could be made productive by systematic storage ( the surplus water now running to waste. Next to Marieopa it is the most in- portant agricultural county in the Territory. It it traversed 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 ot 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 1t 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 Glebe and now complet- ed 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 year Florence, the county seat, will be
 RAILROAD cENTER
 At present it contains a population of about 1900, but with the completion of these two railroads and the Butte reservoir no city in Arizona can approach it for natural advantages, and large increase Tn popula- tion will follow. Florence is at an elevation et l55S feet above seq level, situated near tho Gila river. twenty-six miles northwest of the railroad station of Casa Grande, with which 1t is connected by an elegantly. equipped duly stage line. Going and coming stages run by the old Casa Grande ruins, and passengers are allowed a short time to in snect them- There are many handsome pri- yate residences in Florence, several brick stores, good hotel, an excellent graded school employing four teachers, churches, secret societies, a Commercial Club, news paper (the only one in the countyl, and the handsemest court house in the Territory. Here is held the United States Court for the district conposed of Gila, Graham end Pinal counties. The streets are lined with shade trees. which impart an air of comfort on the warmeSt days.
 PRODUCTS OF THE VALLEY.
 Unlike tae Salt river, tho waters of the 5Ila are fresh and pure; the soil contains no Aikali, is a deep, rich gray ash, especially adapted to the growth of the pruno, olive, almond, peach, fig, pear, apricot and fruits of all kinds, which pay largely on the invest which grows in the most prolific manner. The grape does exceptionally well in this valley, and wine and raisin culture is destin- cd to become prominent industry. Citrus fruits have been cultivated to . limited extent; there are a number of orange trees IF the neighborhood of Florence which bear their gelden fruit each year without pro- lection, and few date palm trees are also in full bearing. The season is from six weeks to two months earlier than Southern Califor- mia, which gives fruit growers an appreciat- cd advantage in
 THE EARLY MARKETS.
 
 The absence of fogs and nightly dews is a formidable obstacle to the destructive and unsigltly seale-bug, and the fruits of the valley are all bright end clean. All the agri- cultural products of temperate and semi tropic zones are easily grown here, the long seasons giving q 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 inn proyementS. 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 yet open to settlement. These are among the choicest in the valley. Water in inexhausti- ble 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 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 UEISHABIFABLE 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
 
 to develop it. There is water-storage scheme on the Pacific coast that has one-haf 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 a paltry 220 feet. A country is drained through this narrow canyon 200 miles square, representing 40cO0 square miles. or larger than Maine and Massachusetts combined. The rainfall is suf- fcient to fill the reservoir twice year, and the land to be brought under cultivation IS practically iimitless. This may read like fairy tale, but it is every word true, and has been verified time and again.
 CASA GRAEDE RESERVOIR.
 The reservoir of the Casa Grande Valley Canal company is the largest in the territory. Iteoyers surface of 1600 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 lfsvee of earth has been thrown mp across depression in the plain IA, 600 feet in length, I25 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 3 cast iron pipes feet in diameter, set in solid masonry, regulated by gates and tower. This reservoir cost SlJ0eOO, and sup plies water for 6,OO0 acres.
 Meteorological Statistics.
 The signal service of the general govern ment maintained station at Florence from 1B74 to 1882. The reports covering the period from Juiy 1880. to April 1882, gives the follow