Trip to Holbrook: January 2024

After botching last year's trip to Holbrook to see the Hashknife Pony Express event, I resolved this year to make another effort, especially since it was the 66th anniversary, which was auspicious for a town on Route 66.

The other day, I was asked at music practice whether the Hashknife Pony Express was associated with Babbitt Ranches, which hosts the annual Hashknife Colt Sale. I was pretty sure it wasn't, but after doing a bit more research, it turns out that there is an interesting relationship between the two.

The Hashknife Brand originated in Texas in the 1870's, and was brought to Holbrook by the Aztec Land and Cattle Company, which officially registered the brand in Arizona. According to the Navajo County Historical Society, the Aztec ranch was not successful, and the remaining holdings were sold in 1901 to the firm of Babbitt and Styles. However, according to Aztec Land and Cattle website, they sold their cattle but retained the land, which they continue to lease to this day. This map of the Aztec property outline is from their area plan, page 5:

The Babbitt Ranches website makes no mention of Aztec, merely stating that their horse breeding program began in the 1940's. By the 1950's the Hashknife brand was registered to the Spur Land & Cattle Company, and the Navajo County Sheriff's Posse adopted the name and brand by special permission of John Babbitt. The brand is still registered to that company today (#3440, on page 355 of the Livestock Brand Book), and Babbitt Ranches applies it to the colts for sale.

Tuesday, January 30

Send-off parade on Buffalo Street:

Local FFA chapter:

Swearing-in ceremony by local postmaster at Gillespie Park:

Send-off dinner at the Elks Lodge. Surprisingly, there are not nearly as many people here this year: last year there was hardly an open seat, and this year barely more than half are occupied.

Wednesday, January 31

First rider leaves the Post Office with the mail:

Tranquility garden near the Post Office:

9-11 Memorial in Winslow:

Appendix

The Arizona Memory Project has a collection of scanned Brand Books. Out of curiosity, I looked up the ownership of the Hashknife brand over the years:

1898: p 177 - Aztec Land and Cattle Co. L't'd., Holbrook, Arizona
1903: p 108 - C. J. Babbitt, Flagstaff, Arizona
1908: p 277, #127 - Barnett Stiles and C. J. Babbitt, Flagstaff, Arizona
1916: p 393, #127 - Chas. J. Babbitt & C. E. Wyrick, Flagstaff & Winslow
1935: p 54, #2658 - Wyrick Cattle Co, Flagstaff
1943: p 191, #1554 - Hashknife Ranch, Inc., Box 90, Flagstaff
1953: p 202, #6480 - SPUR LAND & CATTLE CO. FLAGSTAFF
1963: p 225, #3440 - Spur Land & Cattle Co. - Box 90, Flagstaff
1975: p 190, #3440 - Spur Land and Cattle Co An Arizona Corp, P O Box 1328, Flagstaff AZ 86001

Note the shift in the horse brand from the left shoulder to the left thigh in 1935. Finally, here is the entry from the current brand book:

2024: p 355, #3440 - SPUR LAND & CATTLE COMPANY AN AZ CORPORATION, PO BOX 520, FLAGSTAFF, AZ 86002