Most People Don’t Know The Pony Express Still Operates In Arizona

I had no idea that this existed! (Thank you kind reader who sent this to me!)

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Reminiscent of another time, the Pony Express was a mid-19th century mail delivery operation that became a legend in its own right. Running for approximately 18 months between 1860 and 1861, the mail service offered a quicker way of delivering mail between the coasts, boasting of a short ten-day delivery. The service was short-lived and originally did not run through Arizona.

That, however, hasn’t deterred some people from figuring what a Pony Express route through Arizona could have looked more than 150 years ago. In fact, you can witness an operating Pony Express in just a couple weeks!

Called the Hashknife Pony Express, this is the longest operating and only U.S.P.S. sanctioned Pony Express in the country, running for 58 years.

Alan English CPA/Flickr

The route runs a rigorous 200 miles from Holbrook to Scottsdale for several days each winter and it becomes quite the celebration for each town it passes through. The week-long festivity includes parades, luncheons, breakfasts, meet and greet events, and, of course, a relay mail carrying.

Alan English CPA/Flickr

The route may seem pretty familiar to some Phoenix-area residents who travel from the Valley to Holbrook and back.

Alan Levine/Flickr

It runs from Holbrook down to Heber-Overgaard then down the Rim to Payson, following the highways. Eventually the riders cross the Verde River and ride into Fountain Hills and Scottsdale to deliver the mail and participate in the end celebrations.

Alan Levine/Flickr

The name Hashknife also carries a few layers of Old West and Arizona history.

Alan Levine/Flickr

A hashknife is the name of an Old West cooking utensil! The knife was used by cooks in chuck wagons to quickly chop up meat that would later be served to cowboys.

If you’re familiar with the history of Holbrook, then the Hashknife outfit might ring a bell.

Petrified Forest/Flickr

It became associated with the Aztec Land and Cattle Company since their brand depicted a hashknife standing blade side up and was featured prominently on their cattle. It also came to be linked with the cowboy gang, the Hashknife outfit which, depending on where you get your source information, gained a reputation for being a wild bunch of gunslingers and rustlers.

The name eventually came to be used by the Navajo County Sheriff’s posse in 1955 and within a couple of years it became the name for a county, then state Pony Express. From there, the present-day Hashknife Pony Express was born.

The best part of all this? You can actually have your next letter to Grandma delivered via Pony Express, complete with a commemorative stamp and some fresh mountain air.

Alan Levine/Flickr

Who’s ready to write up a few letters this week?

If you want to send out a letter or two via Pony Express, see the organization’s website for details about where to drop off your letters (multiple locations). You can also visit the same site for details about the trail ride and where you can watch the riders.

If this got you in the mood to experience more of the Old West for yourself, you might want to check out some local saloons! Read about some favorite spots in A Visit To These 13 Saloons In Arizona Will Make You Feel Like You’ve Traveled Back In Time.

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