The Florence tribune., 1899-11-25
THE CASA eRANDe VALLEY.
snformation for Those Seeking Homes
 In the Garden Spot of the West.

In the Garden Spot of the West.
 Pinal county was organized iH 1875 from portions of Pima. Maricopa and ayapai counties and contains an area 9I 9soss s sq9iaarfe miles. or S,4S5,520 acres, one-third of which could be made productive by a systemetle storage Of the surplus water now running to waste Next to Maricopa 1t IS the most tIIl- It it trayersed from east to west by the Southern PaeiHe railroad, and branch of the great Santa Fe system IS now approach. ing from the north. The objective point of this road is connection with the sonora road of the same system. The southern Pacific is also building in this direction rom work will not cease until the Deer Creek coal fields are reached nnd connection Is made with another branch Of that roao run ming from Bowie to Globe and now eomplet- ed to Fort Thomas.
 Thus it will be seen that Final county is the theater of railroad building nt the pres ent time, and inside of a year Florence, the county seat, will be
 RAILROAD CENTER.
 At present it contains population of aboat I500 but with the completion of these two railroads and the Butte reservoir no city in Arizona can approach 1t for naSurai advantages and large increase m popnila- tion will follow. Florence Is at an elevation of 1553 feet above sea level, situated near the GiIa river, twenty six miles northwest oI the railroad station Of Casa Grande, with which
  duly 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 pri- Nate residences in Florence, several brick stores, good hotel, an excellent graded school employing four teachers, churchcs, secret societies, a 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 Giia, 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 silla are fresh and pure; the soil contains no alkali, 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 ment. It is elso the natural home of alfalfa, which grows in the most prolific manner. The grape does exceptionally well in this valley, and wine and raisin culture is destin- ed to become . prominent industry. Citrus 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- teetlon, and a few date palm trees are also in full bearing The season is from six weeks to two months earher than Southern Califor- ,nia which gives fruit growers an appreclat- sd advantage in
 THE EARLY MARKETS.
 The absence of fogs and nightly dews is a formidable obstacle to the destructive and unsightly scale-b bug. and the fruits of the valley are all bright and clean. All the agri- cultural products of temperate and semi tropie zones are easily grown here, the long seasons giving a 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 S20 to $50 per acre, according to location and iIn- Provements. In the immediate neighbor- hood and to the south of the Casa Grande ruins there are thousands of acres covered witA a 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 a depth of from twenty to thirty feet; in fact, river seems 10 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 it under cultivation, only waiting for the magic wand of capital to develop it. There is no water-storage scheme on the Pacific coast that has one-hnlf the natural advantages and so few engineer ing difficulties as the Butte reservoir. Here mature 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 the gorge being only separated by paltry 220 feet. A country is drained through this narrow canyon 20 miles square, representing 40,OO0 square miles. or larger than Maine ard Massachusetts combined. The rainfall is sui fcient to fill the reservoir twice d year. and the land to be brought under cultivation is practically imitless. This may read like fairy tale but it is every word true and has been verified time and again.
 CASA CYANIDE 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 F feet, and contains about eight thousand million gallons of water. It is sit- uated fifteen miles southwest of Florence ievee of earth has been thrown up across depression in the plain II, 900 feet in length 125 feet in width at the bottom and 25 feet in width at top, to slope each side, and an average height of 9 feet. The waste is regII- lated by 3 cast iron pipes feet in diameter, set in solid masonry, regulated by gates and tower. This reservoir cost Sl50, 900, and sup plies water for 6.000 acres.
 Meteorological Statistics.
 The signal service of the general govern ment maintained station at Florence from Al T