Annual Hashknife Posse Pony Express Ride

The Hashknife Posse Pony Express Ride, which begins in Holbrook and concludes 200 miles later in Scottsdale marks the opening of Parada del Sol, and is a re-creation of the famous Pony Express that ran between Sacramento and St. Joseph, Mo. The original Pony Express used 90 riders and 500 horses. There were 119 relay stations along the way, with each rider covering 50 to 100 miles a day.

Working in teams of two, the riders relay the mail by handing off the canvas and leather bags from one rider to the next.

The hashknife was a tool originally used by chuckwagon cooks to cut meat for hash. The Hashknife brand originated in Texas as the identification for the Aztec Land and Cattle Company, which moved to Holbrook in 1886.

Later, in 1957, the Navajo County Sheriff’s Posse retained limited use of the brand, which now identifies the Pony Express, many of whose members are in the posse.

While the actual Pony Express lasted little more than a year, the Hashknife re-enactment is approaching the half century mark. It is one of the longest running Pony Express rides in the nation.

Every year the riders are officially sanctioned by the U.S. Postal Service to re-enact the ride, ending up carrying over 20,000 pieces of mail.

For those who want to know more about the Hashknife Pony Express tradition, there are two museums full of Hashknife artifacts, one is in Winslow on Standing on a Corner Street and one is in Holbrook at the Chamber of Commerce.