Photo by Nolan Madden The Navajo County Sheriff’s Hashknife Posse placed the first mail barrel for the 58th annual Pony Express Ride at the Holbrook Post Office Dec. 14. On hand for the informal ceremony were(front row, left to right) Kashlie Bielefeldt, Ella Palffy, Waylon Perkins-Miller, Mariah Kelley, (back row) posse member Jim Mobley, Posse Captain Mark Reynolds, Holbrook Postmaster Loretta Short, posse member William “Bill” Perkins, Holbrook Chamber of Commerce Director Billie Anne Perkins and posse member Tim Kelley.
By Nolan Madden “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” That phrase has been linked with U.S. Mail delivery since 1914. While USPS does occasionally cancel mail deliveries in unsafe weather, the Navajo County Sheriff’s Hashknife Posse hasn’t held off a delivery of U.S. Mail for nearly six decades. This month Mayor Bobby Tyler and the city council proclaimed Jan. 27-29, 2016, as Hashknife Pony Express Week, setting in motion the posse’s 58th run from Holbrook to the Valley of the Sun next month. Physical preparations began with the placing of mail collection barrels at the Holbrook, Joseph City, Snowflake, Taylor, Pinetop, Lakeside, Heber and Payson post offices. Barrels will be stationed at all post offices along the pony express route to Scottsdale within the next few weeks. New next year will be the city’s first-ever Hashknife Posse Parade, which will be hosted by the Holbrook Chamber of Commerce. The event kicks off at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 26, according to Chamber Director Billie Anne Perkins. The procession is set to route eastward on Navajo Boulevard toward the historic county courthouse for the official swearing-in ceremony on-site at high noon. Posse members will visit the city’s schools on Monday, Jan. 25, to stage mailbag hand-offs, educate the students about the Pony Express heritage and build excitement for the week’s activities. The chamber has engaged the city’s youth to actively participate in the parade by enlisting elementary, junior high and high school students to design and build floats. The students will be released early on Tuesday to watch the parade, and the chamber will keep spectators warm and cozy, serving posole and hot chocolate. The annual pony express sendoff dinner will be held at 6 o’clock on Tuesday evening at the Holbrook Elk’s Lodge, located at 714 Elkdom Ave. Tickets will be available at the door for $10 per person or in advance from the chamber of commerce. The public is also invited to breakfast with the Posse at 6 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 27, at the Holbrook Senior Citizens Center, located at 216 E. Joy Nevin Ave. Meals will be served for $6 per person. The posse will then depart with the first bag of mail at 8 a.m. on Wednesday. Hashknife Posse Captain Mark Reynolds expressed to Mayor Tyler and the council his organization’s gratitude for the city’s support and preservation of “the longest continuously running pony express in the nation.”
