Arizona republican., 1899-03-31

| per company has in it's employ over
 two thousand men. These camps lie forty miles to the east of the valley,
 and at the present price of copper, are
 in most flourishing condition and the demand for products of the farmers IS increasing To the north and east, a distance of 100 miles the mountain
 city of Globe, with it's three thousand inhabitants, draws it's supplies from
 the Gila valley. Willcox, Pearce, Fort
 Grant, Fort Huachuca and Bowie de-
 pend upon this section for their hay
 and grain. From the above it will be
 seen that the farmer in the Gila valley
 is blessed with a wonderful market for
 everything he raises and consequently
 is in a position to fix his own prices.
 At the present writing wheat sells for
 S1.35 to s1.40 per 100 pounds. Hay
 brings from $10 to SIS a ton and bar
 ley $1 to $1.15 per 100. These prices
 are the best received in the territory
 and the reason can be assigned to the
 good markets which surround the
 farmers of that section.
 The Gila valley has never been ad-
 vertised to any great extent and a
 stranger in Arizona will probably hear
 of this favorable section of the terri
 tory after he has reached Phoenix, the
 Mecca of all eastern visitors. If he
 will visit the valley however, via
 Bowie station on the Southern Pacific.
 he cannot help but be impressed with
 the wonderful advantages displayed.
 The first thing that appeals to the
 prospective settler is the wonderful
 and economical irrigation system to be
 found there. The farmers own and
 control their own canals. They band
 themselves into companies, take out hOip 1c hO ri escape the burdensome water rental that is collected in cash by corpora tions owning the big canals in less fla voTed portions of Arizona. There are no cash assessments of any conse quence. When the canal needs clean ing the farmers go themselves and do the work and the irrigation problem iii the Gila valley, as conducted along these lines, is the most simple and economical ir the world. Within the last three months another canal com pany has been formed (among the farmers) who have commenced work Cn new canal known as the Enter prise. This canal, when completed, will be th:rty-five miles in length, ten feet deep, and thirty feet wide on the bottom. It is taken from the Gila river nine miles above Solomonville, l the county seat, and will bring thou sands of acres of land into cultivation. ! With th3 conple ion Of this canal the Gila valley will be the largest agri- cultural district in Arizona and will stand without rival.
 With steadily increasing market and an economical irrigation system the visitor turns his attention to the lanh and the staples that can be raised | The land for the most part is low bot tO Irhi ipt ton has been enriched a lundred-fold | Corn, wheat alfalfa and barley are the | principal crops of this section. The altitude is higher than that of Mari l copa county and all grains reach their | perfection in the Gila valley. Land l that sells for $100 per acre in Maricopa | county can be bought in the Gila val ley for from $50 to $50. There has not | been very many transfers of land in | the past. The present owners have | reclaimed their farms from the desert | and they are now in highly improved | condition. The Gila valley is just be- ginning to attract the attention of the outside world. With the incoming set tiers now we may expect a noticeable | increase in the values of real estate. Now is the opportune time for the in tending settler in Arizona to visit that | section before locating elsewhere. | People desiring further information looking toward the purchase of lands iii that section should write I. E. Sol omon, Solomonville; Frank Dysart, Solomonville; B. B. Adams, Solomon vile; J. J. Birdno, Stafford; w W. Pace, Thatcher, and W. T. Webb, Pima.
 The altitude in the Gila valley is about $500 feet. The summers are pleasant in comparison with the Salt River valley. In winter a snowfall is a very rare occurrence. The snow never lays on the ground more than a few hours at a time. The neighbOring afford beautiful camping resorts where the temperature never rises above 50 degrees. Farenheit
 The Gila valley proper, that is that part of it devoted to agriculture, eX- tends for distance of forty miles one continuous line of farms. Commenc- ing at a point nine miles above Sol omonville at what is known as the 'Narrows," it reaches 10 Geronimo on the line of the Apache reservation. is the first town on the railroad after you leave Bowie. There is located the court house and county hospital. Tra.eling on down the val ley we pass Saffu- d, Thatcher, Central Pima, Fort Thomas and Geronimo. Stafford is the largest place and can boast of four large fiouring mills and several large mercantile establish ments. The farming lands lie on both sides of the river and the greatest width of the valley is four miles, At SolomOnville the Presbyterian church is located with large membership. The Catholics also have a church building al this place. At Stafford the Methodists have an organization but 1t Stafford, Thatcher, Central and Pima -he church of the Latter Day Saints A telephone line con- lects the county seat with the remain ng towns of the valley, which has been source of much convenience
 At the present time many settlers (