Pony Express re-enactment will travel along state highways this week

PHOENIX – Motorists traveling between Holbrook and the East Valley may see Pony Express re-enactment riders carrying mail along state highways from Wednesday, Feb. 8, through Friday, Feb. 10, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

Departing from Holbrook at 8 a.m. Wednesday, the Hashknife Pony Express riders will stop at post offices in Heber-Overgaard, Payson and Fountain Hills en route to their final destination in downtown Scottsdale. The Navajo County Sheriff’s Posse has been staging this 200-mile ride for nearly 60 years.

Law enforcement officers will provide a safety escort for the riders, who hand off the mail bags every mile of the relay route. The riders travel along the edge of the highway or shoulder.

Motorists should not stop along the highway to photograph riders.

The Pony Express will travel along State Route 77, SR 377 and SR 277 to reach the Heber-Overgaard post office around 11:30 a.m. Wednesday. They will take SR 260 from Heber to Payson, with a scheduled arrival at the post office about 4:45 p.m. Wednesday.

On Thursday, the Pony Express will take SR 87 to reach the Fountain Hills post office about 3 p.m. The final leg on Friday, from Fort McDowell to downtown Scottsdale, takes them south on SR 87 to the Arizona Canal, where riders will head west.

More information on this event is available at HashknifePonyExpress.com.