The Florence tribune., 1899-01-28
THE CASA eRANDe VALLEY.
information for Those Seeking Homes
 In the Garden Spot of the West.

Piual county was organized in 1875 from portions of Pima, Maricopa and Yavupai counties, and contains an area of 5,s0S square miles, or 5, 3,435 52O acres, one-third of which could be made productive by systematic storage Cf the surplus water now running to waste. Next to Marlcopa it IS the most inn portunt agricultural county in the Territory. It it 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 road 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 Q population of 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 in popula- tion will follow. Florence is at an elevation of 155s feet above sea level, situated near the Gila river, twenty-six miles northwest of the railroad station of Casa Grande, with which 1t is connected by an elegantly. equipped
  run by the old Casa Grande ruins, and passengers are allowed short time to in spect them. There are many handsome pri- vnte residences in Florence, several brick stores, good hotel, an excellent graded school employing four teachers, churches, secret societies a Commercial Club, news paper (the only one in the. coGntyla and the handsomest court house ill the Territory. Here is held the United States Court for the district composed of Gila. Graham and Pinal counties. The streets are lined with vrh nh inn npfa n n n nf on the warmest days.
 PRODUCTS OF THE VALLEY.
 Unlike tine Salt river. the waters of the iila are fresh and purei the soil contains no tlkah, 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 aud raisin culture is destin- ed to become prominent industry. Citrus fruits have been cultivated to limited extent; there are number of orange trees in the Reighborhood 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 earler than Southern Califor- mia, which gives fruit growers an appreciat- ed advantage in
 THE EARLY MARKETS.
 The absence of fogs 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 the agri- cultural products of temperate and semi tropic zones are easily grown here, the long seasons giving 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 im- proyements. 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 depth of from twenty to thirty feet; in fact, river seems to 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 UNISHABITABLE 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
 
 scheme on the Pacific coast that has one-half the natural advantages and so few engineer ing difficulties as the Butte reservoir. Here nature has built the abutments in ever-liv- 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 z1O feet. A country is drained through this | narrow canyon 200 miles square, representing | 70 900 square miles, or larger than Maine and 1 combined. The rainfall is suf- | hcieHt to fill the reservoir twice a year, and f the land to be brought under cultivation is l practically Hmitless. 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. t covers a surface of 1900 acres, with an aver .ge depth of F feet, and contains about eight thousand million gallons of water. It is sit lated fifteen miles southwest of Florence. \ leyee of earth has been thrown up across depression in the plain IA, 900 feet in length, g feet in width at the bottom and g feet in width at top, to 1 slope on each side, and an Iverage height of 25 feet. The waste is regu- ated by cast iron pipes feet in diameter, ct in solid masonry, regulated by gates and over. This reservoir cost Sl50000, and sup 'lies water for 6.000 acres.
 Meteorological Statistics. The signal service of the general govern rent maintained a station at Florence from