Charles Poston was a western pioneer, explorer, politician, journalist, and expert at Indian affairs. He is regarded as the “Father of Arizona” because of his role in convincing Abraham Lincoln to create the territory of Arizona in 1863. Residing in Arizona and serving as its first delegate to the US congress, Charles discovered an Apache ruin on a hill top in Florence. Poston visualized the tower ruin of the Apache structure as a temple where Indians once conducted worship ceremonies. In tribute he dedicated his personal wealth in 1878 to constructing a pathway leading to a resurrected fire temple known as “Poston’s Butte”. In 1925, some 23 years after Charles Poston’s death, he was buried at the summit of his beloved “Poston’s Butte,” which still stands today in Florence, Arizona and can be viewed within close proximity of the golf club.
