The Florence tribune., 1899-06-03
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, Maricopa and Yayapai counties, and contains an area of 3. .S6S square miles. or S,4S5,520 acres, one-third of which could be made productive by systematic storage cf the surplus water now running to waste. Next to Maricopa 1t is the most im- portant agricultural county in the Territory. It 1t 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 of this read 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 run ming from Bowie to Globe 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 1500, but with the completion Of these two railroads and the Butte reservoir no city in Arizona can approach 1t for natural advantages. and d large increase in popuia- tion will follow. Florence Is at an elevetlon of 1858 feet above sea level, situated near the Gila river, twenty -six miles northwest ot the railroad station of Casa Grande, with which it is connected by an elegantly, equipped duly stage line. Going and coming stages run by the old. Casa Grande ruins, ano passengers are allowed a short time to Tn spect them. There are many handsome DIT vate residences in Florence, several pricE stores good hotel, an excellent gradec school employing four teachers, churcnes ,'ss paper (the only one in the countyl. and tn' handsomest court house in the Territory Here is held the United States Court for th' ~ls ls.-k,. .t.e ..E Nrn Pinal counties. The streets are lined witt shade trees, which impart an air of comfor on the warmest days.
 PRODUCTS OF THE VALLEY.
 Unlike the Salt river, the waters of tn, Sila are fresh and pure; the soil contains n' Ilkai, is a deep, rich gray ash, especial, adapted to the growth of the prune. olive of all kinds, which pay largely on the invest ment. It is also the natural home of alfalfa which grows in the most prolific manner The grape does exceptionally well In th1 valley, and wine and raisin culture is destln ed to become prominent industry. Citru fruits have been cultivated to a limited extent; there are a number of orange tree In the neighborhood of Florence which bea their golden fruit each year without pro tection, and few date palm trees are also il full bearing. The season is from six week 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 formidable obstacle to the destructive an' unsightly scale-bug. and the fruits or tn valley are all bright and clean. All the agri cultural products of temperate and semi tropie zones are easily grown here, the loni seasons giving 6 succession of crops tha double or treble the productive value of tn land.
 PRICES OF LAND.
 Improved lands, with government title ant water right, can be bought for from S20 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 cOyeret with a heavy growth of mesquite timber ye open to settlement. These are among tn choicest in the valley. Water in inexhausti ble quantity is found at depth of iron twenty to thirty feet; in fact, river seem to be flowing underneath. Here IS spien did opportunity to take up and 1mproV land with a pumping system of irrigation which is said to be successful on small tracts
 However, with the completion of the Butt reservoir. pumping will be thing of tn past, and it is only mentioned here for tn purpose of showing what can be done, and t. magnify the further fact that what was ono considered
 AN UNISHABITABLE DESERT
 IS III IEuIn Ll6 InOcN HTO1uCt1hO AeALu Olt Ah' 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 it. There is Ho water-storagi scheme on the Pacific coast that has one-h hal the natural advantages aDd so few engineer ing difficulties as the Butte reservoir. Hert nature has built the abutments in ever-liy ing rock. and all that is left for man to do | to put in the headgate, the bluffs which form the gorge being only separated by paltrJ 220 feet. country is drained through thi narrow canyon 200 miles square, representing 4OOO0 square miles. or larger than Maine ant Massachusetts combined. The rainfall is sui ficient to fill the reservoir twice year, ant the land to be brought under cultivation il practically limitless. This may read like { fairy tale but it is every word true, and ha. been verified time and again.
 CASA CYANIDE RESERVOIR.
 The reservoir of the Casa Grande Valles Canal company is the largest in the territory It covers a surface of 1600 acres, with an aver age depth of F feet, and contains abont eigh thousand million gallons of water. 1t is sit uated fifteen miles southwest of Florence A leyee of earth has been thrown mp across a depression in the plain II, ,0O0 feet in length i25 feet in width at the bottom and p feet II width at top, 2 to 1 slope on each side, and ar 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 Sl5OOOO, and sup plies water for 5000 acres.
 Meteorological Statistics.
 The signal service of the general govern ment maintained station at florence ron 1874 to 1882. The reports covering the period Fr,ro I,,tc 1oe0 to ADril f8a2 gives the follow