The Florence tribune., 1899-04-29
TIE CASA CYANIDE VALLEY.
Information for Those Seeking Homes In the Garden Spot of the West.

In the Garden Spot of the West.
 Pinal county was organized in 1875 from portions of Pima, Maricopa and Ynvapai counties, and contains an area of }, ,S6s sGqare miles. or 3, 1855, ,520 acres, one-third of which could be made productive by systematic storage Cf the surplus water now running to waste. Next to Maricopa it is the most im- portant agriclltural county in the Territory. It It trayersed from east to west by the Southern Pacific railroad, and a branch of the great Santa Fe system is now approach ing from the north. The objective point of this road is a connection with the sonora road, ef 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- 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 cf 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 of 1858 feet above sea level, situated near the Gila river. twenty-six miles northwest of the railroad station of Casa Grende, with which it is connected by an elegantly equipped d1ily stage line. Going and coming stages run by the cid Casa Grande ruins, and passengers are allowed short time to in spect them. There many handsome pri- vate residences in Florence, several brlck stores, good hotel, an excellent graded school employing four teachers, churches, secret societies, a Commercial Club, news paper (the only one in the eountyl, and the handsomest court house in the Territory. Here is held the United States Court for the district composed of Gila. 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 Slla are fresh and pure; the soil contains no llkali, 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 also 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 destln- ed to become a prominent industry. Citrus fruits have been cultivated to limited extent; there 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 months earller than Southern Califor- mia, which gives fruit growers an appreeiat- ed advantage in
 THE EARLY MARKETS.
 The absence of fogs and nightly dews is Q 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 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.
 asaf- | water right, can be bought for from S20 to $50 per acre, according to location and i'm proyemeuts. 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 a depth of from twenty to thirty feet: in fact. river seems to be flowing underneath. Here is a 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 1t 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 USIsHABITABLR DESERT
 Is in truth the most productive land on the globe, and that there is water in abundance fo bring every foot of it under cultivation, only waiting for the magic wand of capital to develop it. There is water-storage scheme on the Pacific coast that has one half 1 the natural advantages and so few engineer ing difficulties as the Butte reservoir. Here | nature has built the abutments in eyer-liv- l ing rock, and all that is left for man to do is 1 to put in the headgate, the bluffs which form | the gorge being only separated by paltry i xzO feet. country is drained through this l narrow canyon 20D miles square representing | 40.000 square miles. or larger than Maine and 1 Tbnr aIrfa is 6eient to fill the reservoir twice a year, and | the land to be brought under cultivation IS | limitless. This may read like a l 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 l Canal company is the largest in the territory. l age depth of l2 feet, and contains about eight | million gallons of water. It is sit- | uated fifteen miles southwest of Florence. l levee of earth has been thrown up across i a depression in the plain II, 00O feet in length. l25 feet in width at the bottom and 9 feet in | width at top 2 to 1 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 S150,OOO, and sup | plies water for 5000 acres.
 Meteorological Statistics.
 The signal service of the general govern ment maintained station at Florence from | 1874 to 1882. The reports covering the period | from Juiy. 1880, to April 1882, gives the follow