The Coolidge examiner., 1938-01-06
Valley National Bank
Sponsors Broadcast

Monday evening, over KTAR, the
community of Coolidge received Il
fine tribute, through the friendly
courtesy Of the Valley National
Bank. Half an hour on the air was
devoted to Coolidge, with talks and
musical features. Facts about Coo
lidge, past, present and future, were
told as follows:
SLOWLY our musical echo fades
away, and in it's place comes the
friendly whinny of plow horse. E.
the sharp ring of the plowshare as
it strikes a glancing blow at an
occasional rock the jovial
whistle of the farmer as he goes
happily about the task of planting
his crops for this is the i'm
mensely fertile countryside i'm
mediately surrounding Coolidge
but recently reclaimed from a des-
ert weste tonight, the Valley Ma
tional Bank is proud to pay tribute
to Coolidge-the baby city of our
baby state.
Coolidge is located in the geo
graphic center of the famed San
Carlos Irrigation Project, midway
between Phoenix and Tucson on
Highway No. 81, and is on the main
line of the Southern Pacific Rail
road. 1t was the building of this
railroad in 1924, and the assurance
of the construction of Coolidge Dam
at San Carlos, on the Gila River
about 10 miles east, which prompt
ed Mr.. R. ]. Jones, in June, 1925,
to plat out so acres of land into
a toWnsite which he named Goo
lidge." in honor of the man whose
signature made the Coolidge Dam
possible. This original acreage was
soon increased to $40, plated out
into city lots.
The youngest Arizona community
has enjoyed a steady and sub5tant-
ial growth during those twelve
years. Small wonder the pioneer
residents of Coolidge look with
pardonable pride upon the rich
yield of cotton, lettuce, alfalfa,
wheat, barley, maize, and higera
from land which so recently harbor-
ed only mesquite, greasewood, sage
brush, and cactus. Coolidge is said
to be the largest cotton producing
center in the Casa Grande Valley.
It's gins have already turned out
more than 25,0O0 bales this season,
and an additional 5000 bales are
anticipated before the season ends.
Cattle and sheep raising are other
worthwhile Industries which are
contributing more and more each
year to the prosperity of the com
munity.
The constant growth and increase
in business and residential build
ings are indicative of the prestage
Coolidge holds as a marketing and
shipping center. Many of the major
oil companies have their main dis
tributing plants here. Coolidge is
also headquarters for the offices
Of the United States San Carlos In
dian Irrigation Project, which has
already spent some $11,000,000 in
developing and making available
for cultivation more than 100000
acres of land. This project regular
ly employs over 100 men. A mile
north of Coolidge, a large $350,000
diesel plant was constructed in
1885, to augment the electrical
power supply of the Valley. Rural
electrification of the entire valley
is also under way, through gov
ernment appropriation of 100000
a step which will enable thous-
ands of farmers to modernize their
homes.
The Coolidge High School, COM
pleted two years ago at a cost of
$12O, 900, has an enrolment of over
200 students. The grammar school,
the main building of which was
completed in 1881 at cost of $780,
600, has over 500 pupils Coolidge
justifiably boasts of its modern,
business buildings,
and is equally proud of its resi-