Arizona republican., 1921-07-19
By w. S. chiIds

Many believe that romance prompt ed the early settlers of Arizona to plant their first oranges because for centuries man has linked romance with oranges and from our earliest history brides have decked their love- ly tresses with the sweetly scented orange blossoms. But this romance, if it was romance, was soon shat tered in the bottom of dry irrigation ditches and today only few of those early groves remain to bless their owners.
 The history of oranges in the Salt River valley is closely connected with the history of irrigation and when the orange growers of Southern Cali fornia were leaping ahead and set ting the problems of marketing and cooperation the orange growers of the Salt River valley were wrestling with flood waters and using every possible means to build a storage dam to store up their flood waters.
 In the fall of 1882 w. J. Murphy. the father of oranges in the Salt River valley, first came to the Salt River valley. MT. Murphy was then building the Santa Fe railroad through Prescott and was asked by Gov. F. A. Tritle to make a trip to Phoenix to investigate the possibili- ties. of the Salt River valley. MT. Murphy, at the suggestion of Governor Tritle, made this trip and was so de- lighted with the country that he re- mained the entire winter, deciding to return and make his future home in the Salt River valley.
 During this winter MT Murphy s attention was attracted by the golden fruit hanging on the trees in several of the yards of the homes in the Salt River valley and although there were no commercial orchards, a vision oi the Salt River valley as a great orange country was opened up to him The next year Mir. Murphy visited Los Angeles and was surprised and impressed by the enormous citrus de-
 velopment around Los Angeles and Riverside. While visiting Riverside Frank Miller called MT. Murphys at- tention to the fact that although the oranges in the lowlands suffered from frost, those on the higher lands were untouched.
 Returning to Arizona. MT. Murphy carefully looked over the Salt River valley and decided that the Camel back district was the best place fol
 citrus orchard and with this ir view a company was organized. Arizona was fully awake to the possibilities of irrigation by this time and contracts were being let for the building of the Arizona canal that would encircle the northern half oi the valley and irrigate the highlands the lowlands being irrigated from the Stallings canal. MT Murphy bid foi and received the contract to build the Arizona canal, completing the same in three years. He also built the first
 brush dam across the Salt river tc supply the Arizona canal with water After the Arizona canal was com pleted and water was running, the Ingleside Land company. of which MT Murphy was a stockholder, planted 100 acres to Washington Nave oranges in the Comeback district just below the Arizona canal. The trees were secured from California al a cost of $1.25 each and planted 2. feet apart by the square system. This 100 acres was planted about 1ss7-1SSs and is known today as the Inglesidt
 grove. It is considered by Mir. Mur. phy as the first commercial orchard
 in the Salt River valley.
 | About the same time five acres o
 sweet seedlings from Florida wer, planted in section 30.- township
 north, range 3 east. by Mir. Weeder
 which R. B. Butler, the present own CT, believes is older than the Ingle-
 side orchard.
 At this time it seemed that tn, water was assured and boom wa | started.s Orchards consisting O
 grapes, figs, apricots, almonds
 peaches, etc, were planted every | where. The famous Ward orchart
 was planted about this time: a Mir Titus planted 20 acres to oranges
 and Chaplain Scott planted one-hal section to fruit trees, includini
 oranges.
 In the spring of 1894 a travelinl
 man came to the Salt River valle. selling grapefruit trees, representing a Southern California nursery: H had no trees but had numerous pic lures of trees in Southern Californi, loaded with fruit and was a yer. fluent talker, selling many grapefruit trees for future delivery in the Sal River valley. It was about this tim that the Clayson grapefruit grove consisting of 20 acres, was planted il section 6. township l north. range east, and which is considered the frs grapefruit orchard planted in the Sal l River valley.
 Cp tO tiiiS lAiic Scciicu loSs
 but soon the early maturing frui l trees began bearing and the mark ct
 were flooded. They had developed large fruit industry but had neglect ed to develop a market. California had fair market for their fruit am many of the Salt River valley grow CTS called their fruit California fruit | which worked we'll for a while, bu | being based on false foundations di, | not succeed permanently.