The Florence tribune., 1899-07-29
THE CASA eRANne VALLEY.
Information for Those Seeking Homes
 In the Garden Spot of the West.

PinaI county was organized in 1875 from portions of Pima, Maricopa and Yayapai counties, and contains an area of ,S6s square miles or 3, ,4S5, ,520 acres, one-third of which could be made productive by a systematic storage CE the surplus water TOW running to waste. Next to Maricopa 1t ia the most iIn- pOrtant agrs3uitural county in the Territory. It it traversed from east to west by, the southern Pacific railroad. and Q branch or the great Santa Fe system is now approach ing from the north. The objective polnS or this road is a connection with the Sonora road, of the same systems The southern Pacific Is also building in this direction from Vempe,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 run ming from Bowie to Globe and now complet- 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
 A RAILROAD CENTER.
 At present it contains a population or about 1500 but with the completion Of these two railroads and the Butte reservoir no city in Arizona can approach 1t for naturai advantages and large increase In popula- tion will follow. Florence IS at an eievatlon of 1858 feet above sea level, situated near the Gila river, twenty-six miles northwest Of the railroad station of Casa Grande, with when it is connected by an elegantly equipped run by the old Casa Grande ruins. and passengers are allowed short time to lI- spect them. There are many handsome pri- yate residences in Florence, several Drich school employing four teachers, churches, secret societies a Commercial Club, news paper (the only one in the countyl. and the Here is held the United States Court for the district composed of Gila, Graham ana Pinal counties. The streets are lined with shade trees, which impart an ar or coInlor1 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 lllxali, is 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 mont. 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 a prominent industry. Citrus fruits have been cultivated to limited extent; there are number of orange trees In the neighborhood of Florence which bear their golden fruit each year without pro- lection, and & few date palm trees are also in full bearing. The season is from six weeks to two omonths earlier than Southern Califor- mia, 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 agri cultural products of temperate and semi tropic zones are easily grown here, the ionl seasons giving a succession or crops Una double or treble the productive value Of thu land.
 PRICES OF LAND.
 Improved lands, with government title an, water right, can be bought for from $20 t' $50 per acre, according to location and i'm provements. In the immediate neighbor hood and to the south of the Casa Grand' ruins there are thousands of acres covered with heavy growth of mesquite timber ye open to settlement. These are among thu 6e Snantty is fo1nd at sr depth of fron twenty to thirty feet in fact, river seem to be flowing underneath. Here is splen did opportunity to take up and improve land with a 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 thu past, and 1t Is only mentioned here for thu purpose of showing what can be done, and tC magnify the further fact that what was oncs considered
 AN UNINHABIrABLE DESERT
 Is in truth the most productive land on ths globe, and that there is water in abundance to bring every foot of it under cultivation only waiting for the magic wand of capita to develop 1t. There is no water-storags scheme on the Pacific coast that has one-hall the natural advantages and so few engineer ing difficulties as the Butte reservoir. Here nature has built the abutments in ever-hy- ing rock, and all that is left for man te sio IS to put in the headgate, the bluffs winch form the gorge being only separated by paltry Z2O feet. A country is drained through this narrow canyon 2O0 miles square, representing 40.000 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 imitless. This may read like a 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. It covers a surface of 1900 acres, with an aver age depth of 12 feet, and contains about eight thousand million gallons of water. It is sit uated fifteen miles southwest of Florence. A leyee of earth has been thrown up across depression in the plain 14, ,O00 feet in length, 125 feet in width at the bottom and 25 feet in width at top, 2 to slope on each side, and an average height of 9 feet. The waste is regu- lated by cast iron pipes feet in diameter, set in solid masonry, regulated by gates and tower. This reservoir cost Sl50,o00, and SUD- plies water for o,000 acres.
 Meteorological Statistics.
 The signal service of the general govern ment maintained a station at Florence from 1874 to 1882 The reports covering the period from July, 1e80 to April, 1882 gives the follow ing statistics, which may. be taken as a safe IL AL