Hashknife Memorial Trail Bill Is Approved, SignedApril 30th, 2008
By Tammy Gray-Searles
Following unanimous approval by both the Arizona House and the Senate, a bill designating the Hash-knife Pony Express Memorial Trail was signed by Gov. Janet Napolitano, making the designation official.
The designation is in recognition of the annual Navajo County Sheriff’s Hashknife Posse Pony Express Ride from Holbrook to Scottsdale, and the trail they use every year will now be marked with official signs.
Holbrook Mayor Jeff Hill explained that the next step in the process is to work with the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) on the creation and placement of the signs.
Obtaining the designation was a collaborative effort between the posse, Navajo County and the City of Holbrook. Hill, along with Posse Captain Mark Reynolds and Navajo County Supervisor J.R. DeSpain, testified on Feb. 26 before the Arizona Senate Transportation Committee in support of the official designation. They received the unanimous support of the five-member committee, which voted to make a recommendation that the rest of the Senate pass a resolution recognizing the route used by the posse between Holbrook and Scottsdale as the Hashknife Pony Express Memorial Trail. The resolution was then approved by the Senate Rules Committee before going before the full Senate and then the House.
The following roadways are included in the designation:
* State Highway 77, from the intersection of Erie Street and Navajo Blvd. in Holbrook to its intersec-tion with State Route 377.
* State Route 377, from its intersection with State Highway 77 to its intersection with State Route 277.
* State Route 277, from its intersection with State Route 377 to its intersection with Mogollon Drive in Overgaard.
* State Route 260, from its intersection with Mogollon Drive in Overgaard to its intersection with State Route 87.
* State Route 87, from its intersection with State Route 260 to its intersection with McDowell Road, and from its intersection with State Route 260 to the post office in Pine.
The resolution was sponsored by Senator Jake Flake (R-Snowflake), and Representatives Jack Brown (D-St. Johns) and Bill Konopnicki (R-Safford).
Hill explained that the designation could benefit Holbrook in many ways, such as bringing citizens together to support the posse, increasing tourism, and honoring generations of men and women who kept the Hashknife Pony Express going for more than 50 years.
The Senate resolution states, “The Pony Express was established in April of 1860 in an effort to shorten the length of time needed to deliver mail from the eastern U.S. to settlements in the west. The Pony Express featured 80 riders traveling on horseback to deliver first class mail. The Hashknife Pony Express was created in 1958 and is the oldest officially sanctioned Pony Express in the world. Beginning in Holbrook, the horseback mail route covers over 200 miles from the Mogollon Rim to the Scottsdale Stadium. For the past 49 years, each January, the Hashknife Pony Express memorializes the Pony Express riders and each rider is officially sworn in as an honorary mail messenger. January 29, 2008, marked the 50-year anniversary of the Hashknife’s annual ride.”
According to a Navajo County press release, Hashknife Captain Reynolds appeared before the commit-tee in his Hashknife leather, and described how the mail exchanges take place every mile or so at a full gallop, or as fast as the weather will permit.
DeSpain noted, “This has been a joint effort between the communities that support the Hashknife Posse. We all recognize and appreciate the contribution the Hashknife Posse has made to each of our communities and hope that, if passed, this legislation will increase awareness of the program.”
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