Event of the Month

Event of the Month The Hashknife Pony Express Rides Again to Scottsdale

The wind whips and slashes across the high plains like a cowboy hell-bent for town. It curls around the corners of Holbrook, slapping the faces of the men on horseback, snapping the American flag in front of the U.S. Post Office. Men and ponies hunch up against January's frostbitten skies. I push my hands down into my pockets, thinking. In 1886 that same wind snapped at the legs of ponies tied to a hitching post in front of the Bucket of Blood Saloon. That same train whistle, drowning in the wind today, signaled the arrival of the first Texas longhorn steers that carried the Hashknife brand. (Cowboys named the brand after the hashknives used by chuckwagon cooks.) Those longhorns drifted halfway across northern Arizona on a range 80 miles wide and 650 miles long.

The brand is an insignia, nowadays, on the jackets of Capt. Greg Lucas, trail boss Mark Reynolds, and about 20 men. Postmaster Juan Flores swears in the men as official mail carriers. The Hashknife Pony Express riders will be picking up mail in Heber, Pine, Payson, and Sunflower, and carrying more than 20,000 letters from around the world 200 miles to Scottsdale where they will open the Parada del Sol, an annual event featuring a passel of Old West-style events, including a rodeo and what's said to be the world's longest horse-drawn parade. (See Arizona Highways, January '92.) The cold wind will test their mettle today, but it's been worse. In the winter of '78, they had to lead their horses through snowdrifts higher than a man on horseback.

One look tells you these men are not a "show" group. The Navajo County Hashknife Sheriff's Posse was established in 1955 to "aid and assist all law enforcement agencies in any and all emergencies when called upon." The mounted volunteers have participated in manhunts, search and rescue operations, and guard duty. Several television documentaries have been filmed about them. Coins commemorating the ride are valued by collectors around the world.

In 1988, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their incorporation, the posse rode all the way to Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, an ambitious goodwill gesture that attracted thousands of people along the way.

The first rider spurs his horse out of Holbrook at 8 A.M., heading south across the long stretch of open prairie that was once Hashknife range. Collar up, hat screwed down tight, his partner waits for the hand-off of the mail pouch. Riders spell each other at two-mile intervals, trailering the horses from station to station.

The sun erases the cold from the air as the men head toward Heber and the Mogollon Rim.

They rest that night in Payson, then cross the Mazatzals into the desert. Camping the next night on the Verde River, they enjoy the camaraderie and tell old jokes like the one about membership requirements: "A $40 horse and a $300 saddle."

At high noon the next day, they deliver the mail to the Scottsdale Post Office. Riding down city streets, they light a fire in the eyes of children.

Why do they do it? As former Capt. William Fischer said, "To show the world there's a little of our history left."

Author's Note: To mail a letter with a special postmark for the event, address each envelope, affix a regular postage stamp, and write "Via Pony Express" in the lower left-hand corner. Place inside a larger envelope addressed to: Pony Express, Postmaster, 216 E. Hopi Drive, Holbrook, AZ 86025-9998. Letters must be received by Friday, January 20, before the departure date on Monday, January 23.

WHEN YOU GO

The "West's Most Western Town" celebrates the Parada del Sol with a variety of events from January 7 through February 5. The arrival of the Hashknife Pony Express riders is set for noon, Friday, January 27 at the Scottsdale Main Post Office at Osborn and Scottsdale roads. The mayor will be on hand to greet them; and the riders will happily pose for photos with spectators. Saturday, January 28, the big parade starts at 9:15 A.M., heading south on Scottsdale Road from Indian School to Palm Lane. Post-parade entertainment starts at noon at the end of the route.

Rodeo performances at Rawhide take place Thursday through Sunday, February 2 to 5; call for admission prices. Other activities include gunfight reenactments, Western music and dances, Indian dancing, a big chili cook-off, cowboy Dutch oven cooking demonstrations, and kids' games. For details on events, contact the Scottsdale Jaycees, Parada del Sol, P.O. Box 2925, Scottsdale, AZ 85252; telephone, (602) 990-3179.