Charles Debrille Poston (1825 - 1902) is referred to as the "Father of Arizona" due to his efforts lobbying for creation of the Arizona territory. He was an American explorer, prospector, author, politician, and civil servant. In 1851, Poston traveled to California as part of the Gold Rush and took a clerk position at the San Francisco Customs House. In 1856 he went to Arizona with a mining company. After losing his position in Congress, Poston opened a law office in Washington D.C. His work, Building a State in Apache Land was published in installments by Overland Monthly between July and October 1894. This book relates Poston's experiences living and working in Arizona in the last half of the 19th century.