The Florence tribune., 1899-11-11
TIE CASA eRANDe 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 1s,S from portions of Pima, Marieopa and 4avapai counties, and contaiHs an area of 5,ooo siuafs miles, or 3, ,t35. .520 acres, one-third or whlch could be made productive by sySt2natlc storage the surplus water HOW running 70 waste. Next to Maricopa 1t E tue Snost ln- portant agricultural county in the icfrisorN. ft it trayersod from east to west by the Southern Pacific railroad, and Driiheh SI the great Santa Fe system IS now appro9ehss ing from the north. The oblectlNe posht oi this road is a connection with ths sonora road. of the same system. The southern Pacific is also building in this dlreetiol rom Tempe,and it is confidently heIieNed, 1 lhtt work win not cease until the Deer Sreeh coal fields are reached and connection IS made with another branch of that road run ming from Bowie to Globe and HOW complet- Thus if will be Ssan that Pinal county is the theater of railroad building af the pres enr time, and inside of year Florence the county seat, will be
 A RAILROAD CENTER.
 At present it contains a population ot about l500 but with the completion or ihese two railroads and the Butte reservoir n9 .eity in Arizcna can approach 1t for nRtuTM advantages and large increase Tn popuia- tion will follow. Florence is at an elevation of la5S feet above sea level, situated near the
  railroad station of Casa Grande, with whleh it is connected by an elegantly equipped deily stage line. Going and coming stages run by the old Casa Grande ruins and passengers are allowed short time to h. speet them. There are many handsome pri- vatc residences in Florence. several brick school employing four teaehers, churches, secret societies, 9 Commercial Club, news paper (the ouly one in the countyG and the handsomest court house iu the Territory. f1 hsll . ITnft taIE tafa 'pnr district composed of Gila. Graham and Pinal counties. The streets are lined with shade trees. which impart an air ot comfort on the warmest days.
 PRODUCTS OF THE VALLEY.
 Unlike the Salt river, the waters of the Stia are fresh and pure; the soil contains no tkaE, ia deep, rich gray ash, especially adapted to the growth of the prunc, olive, almond. peueh, jig, pear, apricot and fruits of all kinas, which pay largely on the invest ment. It Is also fhe natural home of alfalfa, which grows in the most prolific manner. The grape does exceptionally well ln this valley, and wine and raiSin culture is destln- ed to become Q prominent industry. Citrus fruits have been cultivated to limited extent; there are e number of orange trees in the neighhorhood 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 tn two months earier than Southern Califor- mia, which gives fruit growers an appreefGt- Su Ill
 THE EARLY MARKETS.
 The absence of foss 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 Ihe asri- cultural products of temperate and semi tropic zones are easily grown here, the long seasons giving a succession of crops that double or treble the productive value ot the land.
 PRICES OF LAND.
 Improved lands, with government title and water right. can be bought for from SEQ to S50 per acre, according to location and i'm prOyements. In the immediate neighbor- hood aud to the south of the Casa Srande ruins there are thousands of acres covered with a heavy growth of mesquite timber yet open to settlement. These are among the choicest in the valley, Water in mex xhatsti- ble quantity is found at q depth of from twenty to thirty feet; ill fact, d river seems 1 Q be flowing underneath. Here is splen- did opportunity to take Ep 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 a thing of the past, and it is only mentioned here for the purpose of showing what can be done, and to sla2@Eify the further fact that what was once considered
 AN UNINHABITABLE DESERT
 is in truth the most productive land on the
  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- hall | he natural advantages and so few engineer ing difficulties as the Butte reservoir. Here nature has built the abtrfInents in eyer-lis- 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 psitry .2S0 feet. i country IS drained through this narrow canyon 2JO miles square, representing 40GOO square miles. or larger than Elaine and Massachusetts combined. The rainfall is suf- -fcient to fili the reservoir twice year, and the land to be brought under cultivation Is practically hmitless. This may read like fairy tale, but it is every word true and has been verified time and again.
 CASA CYANIDE REsEEyoIR.
 The reservoir of the Casa Grande Valley Canal company is the largest in theterritory. It covers surface of 16o0 acres, with an aver age depth of 12 feet, and contains about eight thousand million gallons of water. It is sit- uated fifteen mics southwest of Florence. 4 leyee of earth has been thrown up across q depression in the plain II GOO feet in length Iz5 feet in width at the bottom and 2S feet in width at top, to slope on each side, and an average height of 25 feet. The waste is regu- lated by cast iron pipes feet 1H' diameter, set in solid masonry, regulated by gates and tower. This reservoir cost SI5O,000, and sup plies water for 6Oe0 acres
 Meteorological Statistics.
 The signal service of the general govern Inent maintained 9 station at Florence from ag74to 1882. The reports covering the period from uly 1880, to April, 1882, gives the follow ing statistics, which may be taken safe guide to the prevailing temperature given during the series of six yeas:
 lg80 Mean. Max. Min. July ly.................... 66.6 III 61 Aueust ........... 86.5 112 so Sente1nber. GlO Ie7 43 October r.............68. 68.0 95 S2 November ......-......-....52l SD 25 December er.....-............ 50.9 v 27
 1881.