Poston’s Butte, the Father of Arizona Statehood

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Poston’s grave sits atop Poston’s Butte near Florence. Gary Every | Crier

Highway historical plaques dot the Arizona landscape, paying tribute to Charles D. Poston proclaiming him “The Father of Arizona Statehood” and giving a glimpse of a colorful life. My favorite historical plaque is the one in Florence which points out Poston’s Butte, the tiny hill with the pyramid on top – Arizona’s only Temple of the Sun.

Poston first came to Arizona at the age of 29, as the leader of a government survey crew. He and four topographical engineers were surveying southern Arizona when they neared the confluence of the Gila and Colorado Rivers. A ferry boat operation was run there by a man named Jager. Jager realized that Poston was working at government expense and charged the exorbitant fee of $50 to ferry the survey crew across the flood swollen river.

Poston replied that he would remain on the Arizona side of the river, they had plenty of surveying work to do. Poston explained that just as Philadelphia was at the confluence of the Delaware and Schuykill Rivers, this site at the junction of the Gila and Colorado was expected to someday be the future capital of Arizona.

An excited Jager bought the lot at the corner of Main and Central for $50. In the morning, Poston gave Jager back his $50, crossed the river, and resumed his journey.

Poston returned to Arizona as part owner of a Tubac silver mine. One of those ubiquitous historical plaques stands outside St. Anne’s Church and salutes Poston as the founder of modern Tubac. To make Tubac an oasis of prosperity, Poston reasoned his new community would need families to create a stable citizenry. He claimed the traditional powers of a Spanish colonial alcalde and performed marriage ceremonies between American miners and Mexican maidens.

Tubac flourished during this era, which Poston described: “The table at Tubac was generally supplied with the best the market afforded. Besides venison, antelopes, turkeys, bear, quail, wild ducks, and other game we obtained through Guaymas a reasonable supply of French wines for Sunday dinners and the celebration of feast days.”

J. Ross Browne also described Tubac. “The gardens afforded a pleasant place of retreat in the summer, with their shady groves of acacias and peach trees; and deep pools in the river, overhung by willows, were cleared out and made into bathing places, in which all who pleased might refresh themselves with a luxurious bath. Poston used to sit in the water like the Englishman in Hyperion, and read the various newspapers, by which means he kept his temper cool amid the various disturbing influences which surrounded him.”

The bishop of Santa Fe declared all of Poston’s marriages, divorces, and baptisms to be null and void. Hysterical weeping among the Tubac locals soon followed.  Many of the couples whose wedding ceremonies had been performed by Poston had already produced several children. After Poston made a sizable donation to a local monastery the bishop changed his mind.

Poston is associated with the most famous practical joke in the history of Tucson.  When the first locomotive came through town on March 20, 1880, the occasion was marked by a celebration. Telegrams were sent to the President of the United States as well as other dignitaries. The mayor of Tucson sent the following telegram to Pope Leo XIII:

“To His Holiness the Pope of Rome, Italy;

The mayor of Tucson begs the honor of reminding your Holiness that this ancient and honorable pueblo was founded by the Spaniards under the sanction of the Church more than three centuries ago, and to inform your Holiness that a railroad from San Francisco, California now connects us with the entire Christian world.  Asking your benediction.

R. N. Leatherwood, Mayor”

Poston bribed a Western Union messenger to deliver a bogus telegram during the festivities. Leatherwood saw the bogus message and an excited glow crossed his face. He halted the party to read the telegram aloud.

“His Holiness the Pope acknowledges with appreciation receipt of your telegram informing him that the ancient city of Tucson at last has been connected by rail with the outside world and sends his benediction, but for his own satisfaction would ask, where in the hell is Tucson anyways.”

It was several days before Leatherwood realized that he had been the victim of a practical joke, that perhaps the pope would not use the word “hell” so casually.

Poston lobbied the federal government for years to have Arizona declared a separate territory from New Mexico and in 1863 the Arizona Territory was created.  Poston proudly journeyed to Washington DC as Arizona’s first elected representative.

Poston described his congressional experience: “A delegate from a territory is like a tadpole among frogs. His name is not on the roll call and he has no vote. Nothing is expected of him but silence and not much of that.”

The end of Poston’s life was summarized by the “Arizona State Guide” published by the Arizona State Teachers College in Flagstaff in 1940; “After completing his term in Congress he traveled extensively in Europe and Asia and returned to Florence, Ariz. in 1878. While in India he became a sun worshiper and upon his return built a road costing several thousand dollars to the top of a butte which he called ‘Parsee Hill’ and where he erected a pyre of continuous fire as a temple to the sun. After burning for several months the fire died and the project became known as Poston’s Folly.”

The pyramid which now stands atop the peak is not the temple he started but never finished. This is a later monument erected in Poston’s honor. I have stood a top Poston’s Butte for sunsets when the sky is alight with streaks of crimson, yellow, red, gold, and purple, more splendid than the fire of any pyre. Any time you are near Florence it is worth climbing Poston’s Butte to do a little sun worshipping of your own.

Gary Every (45 Posts)

Gary Every is an award winning author who has won consecutive Arizona Newspaper Awards for best lifestyle feature for pieces “The Apache Naichee Ceremony” and “Losing Geronimo’s Language”.  The best of the first decade of his newspaper columns for The Oracle newspaper were compiled by Ellie Mattausch into a book titled Shadow of the OhshaD.  Mr. Every has also been a four time finalist for the Rhysling Award for years best science fiction poetry.  Mr. Every is the author of ten books and his books such as Shadow of the Ohshad or the steampunk thriller The Saint and The Robot are available either through Amazon or www.garyevery.com.


Facebooktwitterby feather
Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Comments are closed.

  • Additional Stories

    Oracle Fire District announces winners of Firewise Awards

    November 22nd, 2023
    by

    By Nathaniel A. Lopez   On Tuesday, Nov. 14, during the Oracle Fire District’s monthly meeting at the Oracle Fire […]


    Some Oracle residents forced to find new trash service

    July 28th, 2023
    by

    By Mila Besich Arizona’s Copper Corridor has struggled for decades with a growing blight problem, abandonment of properties and not […]


    Red Field Fire and Bowl Creek Fire Updates

    July 28th, 2023
    by

    This week there was noticeable fire activity in the Tri-Community area with the Red Field fire burning on Sombrero Butte […]


    Free virtual diabetes prevention program

    October 15th, 2022
    by

      One in three adults are estimated to have prediabetes, and most do not know it. In Arizona, this means […]


  • Additional Stories

    Oracle Community Learning Garden will grow on you

    August 17th, 2022
    by

    By T.C. Brown   A little over four years ago an idea started to grow. The first seeds were planted […]


    Summer softball officially open

    June 15th, 2022
    by

      By Nathaniel A. Lopez   The Summer Softball League kicked off their opening ceremonies this past weekend on June […]


    Celebrating the Top Two Students for the San Manuel High School Class of 2022

    May 22nd, 2022
    by

      As the school year comes to an end, and summer approaches, most students are expecting a normal summer break. […]


    All Aboard! Kids’ Railroad running in Oracle

    April 10th, 2022
    by

      The Kids’ Railroad at the Oracle Community Learning Garden will be running trains two Saturday mornings each month from […]


  • Copperarea

  • Southeast Valley Ledger