Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Donate today to give back in celebration of all that #PublicMediaGives. Your contribution will be matched $1 for $1.

The Pony Express Rides Again

The Hashknife Pony Express travels from Holbrook to Scottsdale every year, with thousands of letters. Above, first-time rider Walter Pacheco (right) rests in a Payson parking lot. (Stina Sieg/KJZZ)
The Hashknife Pony Express travels from Holbrook to Scottsdale every year, with thousands of letters. Above, first-time rider Walter Pacheco (right) rests in a Payson parking lot. (Stina Sieg/KJZZ)

The Pony Express was only in existence for about a year and a half during the 1860s, but the horse-powered mail delivery system has become one of the most enduring symbols of the Wild West.

For most people, cowboys riding hundreds of miles with sacks of letters is the stuff of legend. But as Stina Sieg of Here & Now contributor KJZZ explains, in Arizona, it’s very real – at least for a few days each year.

Reporter

Related

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

You make NHPR possible.

NHPR is nonprofit and independent. We rely on readers like you to support the local, national, and international coverage on this website. Your support makes this news available to everyone.

Give today. A monthly donation of $5 makes a real difference.