The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1903-08-27

the age of 50. alone. and in utter
poyerty.1. former Delegate to Con
gress from Arizona, who conceived the
idea of erecting upon its summit mag
nifcent temple dedicated to the worship
of the sun. While he was holding the Of
fee of Register of the United States Land
Office at Florence, he conceived the idea
of obtaining from some of the wealthy
Parsees of India. whom he had met in his
extensive travels through China and
Hindostan during his earlier years, do
nation to build temple on the summit
of the little hill northwest of Florence,
which has an elevation of about 600 feet.
At that time the Colonel had sold some
stock in the AriTaca land grant, and pos
sessed the means to take the initiatory
steps towards building the temple. He
caused survey of Il road to be made from
the base to the summit of the hill, and
built a good buggy road at considerable
expense.
For long time Col. Poston devoted his
leisure hours to the study of hydraulics,
and contemplated putting in hydraulic
ram somewhere on the river bank that
would force the water to the summit of
the hill, for the use of the worshipers at
the temple.
He argued and contended that the re-
ligious belief of the Pima Indians was
and that they were descendants of the
sun-worshiping Aztecs, and if he could
establish that fact to the satisfaction of
his Parsee friends in Bombay, they would
willingly donate an hundred thousand dol
lars for the purpose of building a temple
to be dedicated to the freworshipers of the
ella Indian reservation.
However, no donation ever came, and
after Col. Poston had expended about
60
on his pet scheme, it gradually faded from
his memory, and in after years, when the
people of Florence spoke of it as ''Pos-
tons folly" he did not have much to say.
A great many people climb up on the
Butte even to this day. When / reached
fits summit in 1870 / enjoyed the splendid
view of the valley and surrounding coun-
try. The Butte itself rises abruptly from
a bread expanse of somewhat sandy prai-
RE land strewn with prehistoric remains,
and Is the closest of the various peaks
adjacent. 1t is nearly black in color, a
huge mass of limestone and lava. Roman
tic cliffs and almost inaccessible caves and
hooks abound on It's rough exterior. Here
the various birds of prey find safe re-
treat and security for their young. In the
caverns rattlesnakes and other smaller
reptiles in great numbers find home.
A person is at once struck with the
adaptability of the vast monument far n
lookout or signal post during hostilities of
savage tribes. Situated in the center of a
once prosperous community of people,
people whose habitations were all built
with a view to defensive would at once
expect to find that some advantage had
been taken of the opportunity offered by
nature.
HOME OF THE RATTLERs.
! assembled with difficulty the terraces
of hard, forbidding rock Poston's road
had not yet been built. In such an ascent
one must be very careful to avoid rattle
snakes. 1t often happens, not only on this
mountain, but in hundreds of others in
Arizona, that the explorer must walk on
the edge of some cliff or narrow ledge,
must sometimes stoop down and creep, on
account of overhanging boulders, where
but an outward movement would precip-
itate him upon the jagged rocks below.
While thus imprisoned, mountain wall
on one hand, q dizzy depth on the other
narrow ledge on which to creep-one
must pass undaunted myriads of crevasses
and openings, any one of which may con.
tain rattlesnakes of the most venomous
kind-and the explorer entirely at theiI
mercy. The writer has been attacked by
rattlesnakes in similar positions, but has
escaped by hairs breadth from the dou
When say attacked by rattlesnakes
mean to imply that there exists a kline
of rattlesnake in that region which, un
like the common Crotalus, will not go ou
of your way, but curl up right before you
elevate his head with about foot of it
neck, and hiss and strike at you, compel
ling you to either walk around it or kill il
This species is entirely black, although tn,
diamond-shaped pattern upon its back i
distinguishable. being somewhat pale
black than the body itself. This kind o
rattlesnake is not sluggish like the on
with the yellow diamond markings; 1t
more slender III body and very quick in it
motions. The same black RATHER is ofte,
met with in the canyons of the Arivaip
lold Camp Grant, at first called For
Breckinridge) region.
After few falls and bruises from roll
ing stones, few scares from frightene
hawks and owls that frantically escape
from their holes: and few painful sting
from the barbs of the ever-prcsent cact
/ considered myself lucky at bayin
gained the summit without Serious acc
dent. The beautiful vista that met m
eye and the exhilarating effect of the fires
breezes at once bapished all memories O
the fatigues of the ascent. When / ha
gazed to my hearts content at the seen
before and around me-the verdan,
winding valley of the ella River, the dis
tant town Of Florence clothed In beau