Year: 1878

B. With the first issue of TIE CITIzEr

 in Florence, on Nov. 9, 1877, we gave an article on the growth and prospect.

 of our little town, of which article tn, , following is an extract:

 il Less than dozen years ago a few smoky huts marked the section of the

 Gila valley where sunny, thriving ! Florence now stands. Our oldest in.

 habitantS, who were the first here to

 do and dare, have watched the stead V

 growth of tht. town with deepest fn.

 terest and again and again have been

 made glad at heart and rich in pocket

 as lots and ranches have been sold

 family after family has been added to

 the community, and one by one dwell

 ing and store ani office have finally

 brought us to our present good pro.

 portions and prosperous condition.

 Some of the larger towns of our ter.

 tltory have originated contemporane-

 ously with an adjacent disbursipc

 post and have depended mainly on tbe

 monies so disbursed for thelr support

 Florence is not one of these-no gov.

 ernmenl funds or foreign trade have

 ever aided in its support or progress

 but lying in the heart of rich and ex. tensive agricultural and mineral dis

 trlct, 1t has grown to its present great

 ness from natural resources and local enterprise. The resources and energy that have made Florence what its. are amply able to continue it Tn its pres ent prosperity, hence we certainly need fear no decline. But our resources are being doubled and redoubled; day aE. ter day the rich mineral developments ln our neighboring districts are open. ing new avenues to wealth and pros. perity. These developments attract immigration, employ labor and dis purse capital; this capital finds it's way into the hands of the merchants and other business men. and so there IS natural benefit and common pro- gress-all live and are happy. have enough and to spare. We have in deed a hardy, industrious community"

 And now after ten months of con- stant labor for what we believed to be the best interests of our county and Territory we close our work in Flor ence, and with our last issue we can heartily endorse our first article with but a slight modification. It is DOS. slble that we relied too much on the benefits resulting from mining devel- opments. Mineral districts build their own towns, and the mining interests will only benefit Florence indirectly unless lodges are discovered nearer town, but the agricultural resources of Florence are and will be her abiding support. The amount of ariable land Is being annually increased. New ca. nals are being dug, and other improve menJs for irrigation are in progress. The last three or four seasons have been unusually dry and yet an average of 3,000,000 pounds of grain has been raised in this vicinity each year With a usual amount of rain two crops can be grown each season, and the annual produce largely increased. Nothwith- the dry years Florence has had a fair and steady trade A fair estimate of the business done here during the last year can be formed by observing the large advertising patronage given to TIE CITIZEN, all of which has been paid for promptly and well. Buildings have been going up gradually, but constantly. We be- Iieve Florence will increase gradually in size, and if the railroad passes through it its commanding importance will at once be manifest