Tomb of Charles Poston,
"Father of Arizona"
 

Directions:
Take State Road 79 north from Florence, then head west on Hunt Highway about 13 miles. The pyramid can be seen from the road.

Historical Significance:
Charles D. Poston (1825-1902) was instrumental in creating the territory of Arizona and is known as the “Father of Arizona.” He was Arizona’s first delegate to Congress from December 5, 1864, to April 26, 1865.

Poston was Superintendent of Indian Affairs and the territorial agent of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. His later life included travel to the Far East, and he became interested in Zoroastrianism and sun worship. In 1878, on top of a 250-foot-tall hill near the town of Florence, he built a “fire temple”; the hill subsequently became known as Poston’s Butte.

Poston, a native of Kentucky, died in poverty on June 24, 1902, and was buried in Phoenix, Arizona. Poston’s remains were moved from Phoenix to Florence, Arizona, on the 100th anniversary of his birth, and buried on Poston’s Butte, where he had never completed his “Temple to the Sun.” He was entombed in an official ceremony led by Governor George W. P. Hunt.

Due to concerns about vandalism, the original copper plaque was removed from the monument by the Pinal County Historical Society in 1925 and placed in the society’s museum.

Marker Date:
1925

Dedicated:
April 26, 1925, 23 years after Poston’s death, when his pyramid was completed

Sponsor:
Arizona State Society, DAR