History Morsels

Kingdom of Tubac
The following article is from the Nogales Herald, 1947

“Ninety years ago, in 1857, the tiny Presidio of Tubac in what is now Santa Cruz County, was an empire within itself and was ruled by a Syndic (Municipal magistrate). The story is repeated in this column.

“By appointment of New Mexico, to which Arizona was then attached, Charles D. Poston was given the power of life and death, authorized to baptize and perform rites of matrimony, declare war, and do as he pleased in far-away Tubac, tiny border outpost of American civilization.

Col. Poston, known also as the ‘Father of Arizona’, conducted his Tubacan empire in baronial style.  He issued his own money in the form of picture cards, lived in splendor with a larder always filled, worked mines, entertained lavishly and conducted trade with Mexico and the outside world.  (The common medium of exchange, being silver bullion, was too heavy for ordinary use, so the Colonel issued scrip, called ‘boleta’ by the natives.  They were about the size of an ordinary business card, and were done by an engraving plant in New York, on cardboard.  Those with the pig were worth 12.5¢; the calf was worth 25¢; the rooster, 50¢; the horse, $1.00; the bull, $5.00 and the lion was worth $10.00.  This picture money of Tubac was widely used and generally accepted, as the mining company of which the Colonel was the head, would redeem them in bullion.)

“This utopian kingdom continued for several years, until a clap of thunder in the east, in 1861, started the great cilvil war.  Then protecting troops were removed from Ft. Buchanan and Tubac was left alone at the mercy of the Indians.  Col. Poston barely escaped with his life.

“There once was a Kingdom in Arizona and it was at old Tubac”