A series of American university professors of history provided background information. He purchased a 1903 Winton The trip began after a discussion in a San Francisco mens club as to the feasibility of a transcontinental auto crossing. As I had been trying to steal one we were glad to get him so accepted the present (consideration $15.00). But if there was one thing Horatio had, it was a steadfast commitment to the dream. Darling SwipesOn our arrival here [I] was much surprised to find a man from the factory with a letter congratulating me and stating that they were willing to place men along the line with supplies at their expense.I have informed them that we have made the trip so far without their assistance & thought that perhaps [we] two greenhorns could do the rest of it. Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). Both the Packard and Oldsmobile companies sent their respective automobiles from California with hope of passing Jackson and claiming the title for first automobile to travel across the U.S. , It took 63 days to complete the journey, during which the trek merged with present-day Highway 30 near Pocatello, Idaho, and followed it into Soda Springs, Idaho, and finally into Granger, Wyoming. Incidentally, half a ton of Nebraska clay, which it has gathered during the past few days, will be removed Monday Eve.Darling Swipes:While I think of it I want you to order two full sets more of the kodak pictures & have one set sent to Mrs. B. D. Crocker Tacoma, Wash. Keep the other set for me & bring all pictures & photos to N.Y. when you come to meet me there that is if you care to come.Well old girl I have brought the car to its birthplace & a great reception it got. Copyright20062023,Somerightsreserved. They offered locals rides in the car in exchange for a "wild west show". A stop of two days was made here to await their arrival, and on Tuesday morning the adventurous travelers resumed their journey.". Watch me now come to you.Nel. But, 2 days after the bet, Horatiofinalized the purchase of his first car, a Winton that he dubbed The Vermont after his home state. His enthusiasm was matched only by his underestimate of the effort needed to accomplish the journey. When the tires failed to materialize, however, they continued on after a three-day wait. Their yellow Saxon automobile, nicknamed the Golden Flier, became a moving symbol of womens rights and a podium for speeches in many towns and cities. [17][18], In 1944, Jackson gave his Winton, the Vermont, to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., where it is preserved.[6]. Have you ever wondered about the first cross-country road trip? Horatio Nelson Jackson died on January 14, 1955, at the age of 82. The journey was arduous and slow, but their trip made headlines wherever they went. Dr. H. Nelson Jackson and Sewall K. Crocker, his chauffeur, finished the first transcontinental automobile trip at half-past four o'clock yesterday morning. At first they lost their cookware, but while still in California, Jackson also lost his glasses. "Fifty dollars says I can drive a car to New York." This was quite a boast for a man without a car or mechanical knowledge. Dr. Jackson is a man of wealth, who is very fond of automobiling. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), A Sky Full of Adventure at the Balloon Museum, The Right Word Peter Roget and His Thesaurus, Mosquitos - What are they good for? After suffering a flat tire on the bicycle, he returned with 4 US gallons (15L) of fuel (which Jackson complained cost him "nearly twenty dollars"), and they returned to Burns to fill up.[6]. Horatioeventually settled inBurlington, Vermont, with his wife Bertha and faithful co-pilot Bud. He is a mighty good man.I am fine and the only trouble is I miss you so.Nelson, We met a red-haired young woman riding along on a white horse. Heeding the failed attempt by automobile pioneer Alexander Winton (founder of the Winton Motor Carriage Company, which manufactured Jackson's car) to cross the deserts of Nevada and Utah, Jackson decided to take a more northerly route through the Sacramento Valley and along the Oregon Trail. Explore the Winton touring car, which Jackson took on his historic trip. a tow. "They were the visionaries and crackpots, which is sometimes the same person. There had to be an easier way to win a $50 bet. Fortunately, Jackson was an optimist. All Rights Reserved. Until that time, the current route was but a well-traveled wagon road parallel with the Oregon Short Line railroad. The amazing journey of Dr. Horatio Nelson Jackson, and the first successful car trip across the United States, has been commemorated in a documentary film by the celebrated Ken Burns, "Horatio's Drive: America's First Road Trip", which debuts Monday, October 6th, at 9:00 p.m. on PBS. Want to know what other interesting things there are to see out on the road? It will be undertaken by Dr. H. Nelson Jackson of Vermont and S.K. Jacob Murdock and his family drove from Pasadena to New York City in just 32 days. It is displayed with reproductions of supplies and equipment that the men carried. Jackson and S.K. Jackson was unable to replenish the tire he blew but was however able to purchase some slightly used inner tubes. coats and sweaters and two small suitcases for their clothes DriveBestWay.com is a route planner for car travelers, providing a lot of travel-related calculations like road distance, driving time, fuel cost Online route planner for car travelers - United States and worldwide - DriveBestWay.com "Which way to Marysville?" Driving Directions to Omaha, NE including road conditions, live traffic updates, and reviews of local businesses along the way. He remained on duty until severely wounded by high-explosive shells, when he was obliged to evacuate.[16]. "Discovering their loss, Jackson and Crocker determined that living off the countryside or starving was less to be feared than a return trip," wrote Jackson's friend Ralph Nading Hill in his book "The Mad Doctor's Drive. We took that road for miles and then it came to a dead end at an isolated farmhouse. Hi, Im Sheila laid-back, sometimes creative, a little curious, and always ready for a last-minute adventure. On June 6th however, the car finally suffered a severe mechanical issue forcing them to stop all forward progress near Burns, Oregon for several days. Churning dust irritated Buds eyes, and Jackson purchased this pair of goggles for him. There are a few windmill museums in the world and Ive been lucky enough to visit one. The travelers eventually reached Omaha, Nebraska, on July 12. Enter Horatios Drive: Americas First Road Trip, a documentary produced by Ken Burns. [6] The duo was also assisted in Sacramento by bicyclists who offered them road maps. Sponsored by the National American Woman Suffrage Association, the trip began and ended in New They are all like a lot of kids I have made arrangements to have the Winton agent at New York to take you up the Hudson to meet me. The list price 100 years ago for Jackson's 1903 Winton Touring Car was $2,500, about $50,000 in today's money. The first American automobiles had been built only 10 years earlier, and most people in America had never set eyes on the wildly expensive contraptions. And no, it hadnt been lost for 158 years. The possibilities of the open road What natural wonder will we see today? I explained to them that the next stop was twelve miles away and that if they would help us out I would take their baggage in for them. In 1903, Horatio Nelson Jackson, a doctor from Vermont, was in San Francisco with his wife when he made a bet. Quite a flurry of excitement was erected Saturday evening by the arrival of an automobile. Two other motoring partieseach anxious to claim the title of first to drive across countrydeparted while The press came out at every stop to take their picture and conduct interviews. The documentary focuses primarily on Horatio Nelson Jackson and his Winton car, the Vermont; along with his companions Sewall K. Crocker, his pet pitbull Bud and frequent correspondence with Jackson's wife Bertha Richardson Wells (called "Swipes" by Jackson). Keep in mind that the cars of 1903 were little more than expensive playthings for hobbyists and hadnt really been proven to be worthy of such a bet. According to the Winton Companys numbering system, the car he bought was Number 1684 but he chose to christen it with the name. Shortly after returning to the road, both of the brothers' vehicles broke down, and Jackson towed them both home with the Vermont. Bud was a young, light-colored bulldog who immediately added life to the journey. In the spring of 1903, on a whim and a fifty-dollar bet, Dr. Horatio Nelson Jackson set off from San Francisco in a 20-horsepower Winton touring car hoping to become the first person to cross the . "From Sea to Sea in a Horseless Carriage", Dr. H.N. They left San Francisco on May 23, 1903, loaded with gear and enthusiasm. Heeding the omens of a previously failed attempt to cross the continent just a couple years earlier by automobile pioneerAlexander Winton(original builder of Horatios Winton) by way of the deserts of Nevada and Utah, the two explorerstook a more northerly route through theSacramento Valley along the remnants of the originalOregon Trail. Subsequently, their mileage took a sharp increase andtheir rate of trail damage sharply decreased. It was one of the few original parts never replaced during the entire journey. Crocker of Seattle, both of whom are at the Palace ready for the journey. Or sometimes I just need to, Read More The Right Word Peter Roget and His ThesaurusContinue, If youve never heard of Snowflake Bentley, then Ive got a treat for you! H. Nelson Jackson, a physician and businessman from Burlington, Vermont, captured the nations attention when he and Sewall K. Crocker, a mechanic, drove from I came pretty nearly having cold feet. Everything that can break has broken already.". At Mountain Home, Idaho they veered from the Oregon Trail for the first time since near the California border and turned south glancing by the southern edge of the Sawtooth Mountains. H. Nelson Jacksons trip in 1903 inspired dozens of motorists to cross the country. African American History Curatorial Collective. I had to know more! Jackson's trip started in a hastily purchased Winton that he named the "Vermont" four days after he made the bet. He was in San Francisco on vacation with his wife when, while sharing a few beers with some friendly strangers at the local University Club, he insisted that he had what it took to drive a car across the US. Western roads were still unimproved in 1909 when Alice Huyler Ramsey drove across the country. The finishing dash over the plains to the East Coast was as much a struggle with the "buffalo wallows" as it was with the car, but in the end Jackson was not to be denied. Horatio Nelson Jackson departed San Francisco on May 23rd, 1903 for what was to become America's first ever road trip - and all because of a 50 dollar bet made just 5 days prior. We shall now try & make a record trip. The Jackson-Crocker trip excited people across the nation. Jackson was possessed of a deep thirst for adventure, and his remarkable story chronicles the very beginning of the restless road trips that soon became a way of life in America. A former U.S. Forest Service firefighter, he has traveled extensively and covered a wide variety of issues during his career, including the Beijing Olympics, Hurricane Katrina, illegal American tourism in Cuba and a 40-day cross country car trip commemorating the history of automobile travel in America. [14][15], The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Major (Medical Corps) Horatio N. Jackson, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with 313th Infantry Regiment (attached), 79th Division, A. E. F., near Montfaucon, France, September 26-29, 1918. Jackson chose a cherry red 1903 Winton Company touring car. Even before roads stretched across the nation, well-publicized cross-country automobile trips advertised car manufacturers, promoted political causes, and proved Horatio Nelson Jackson (March 25, 1872 - January 14, 1955) was an American physician and automobile pioneer. The further they pushed on through Idaho and Wyoming, the more it seemed that the team would actually make it. Jackson and Crocker were en route, but could not overtake them. Just as soon as I can get decent tires we will make a record run. "Why did you send us way down there?" Pin it so that others can experience the first American cross-country road trip and compare it to some of their own adventures! When we get there the worst will be over.I can run the car as well as Crocker & have rather surprised him We take 2 hours on and 2 off at the wheel. Horatio's Drive: America's First Road Trip TV Movie 2003 TV-G 1 h 47 m IMDb RATING 8.0 /10 546 YOUR RATING Rate Documentary Adventure History The saga of Horatio Nelson Jackson, the first man to cross the United States by automobile--in 1903! So Bud is now with us.We stopped at Nampa and had lunch at the Dewey Hotel. Jackson and Crocker replaced it with the only spare they had, which by the way, happened to be the only right-sized spare tire they could find before they left. On their arrival, the mud besmirched and travel stained vehicle which had borne them so faithfully and sturdily over fifty-six hundred miles of roads between the Pacific and the Atlantic was housed in a garage in West 58th Street. We buried our car completely in one and after working a half-day to get it out again, three Italians came along, each packing a heavy bag. Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps. After twomore days ofplanning and preparation, the two began their unbelievable impromptu journey eastwardtowards New York City. ), coats and sweaters and two small suitcases for their clothes, a set of tools including two jacks, a spade, and a firemans ax, a block and tackle with 150 feet of hemp rope, a small Kodak camera to record his trip (this just warms my little memory-keeping heart! The state of Vermont was so alarmed that it passed a law requiring every auto to be preceded down the street with a person waving a red flag. . It was also the same year that the Frontier in America was consideredclosed. Another brother, Hollister Jackson, served as Lieutenant governor of Vermont. Want to know what happened? With them they brought little more than a couple of coats, some protective canvas suits, a couple of sleeping bags, some blankets, canteens, a water bag, an ax, a shovel, a telescope, some bicycle repair tools, a few spare parts, a block and tackle, extra cans gasoline and oil, a camera, a rifle, a shotgun, and a couple of pistols. One hundred years ago, on May 23, 1903, an eccentric doctor from Vermont named Horatio Nelson Jackson set off from San Francisco in a 20-horsepower Winton touring car, hoping to become the first . As the nineteenth century came to an end, there were only 8,000 cars in the United States compared to 14 million horses. York City. Besides his medical practice, Jackson was an auto enthusiast who differed with the then-prevailing wisdom that the automobile was a passing fad and a recreational plaything. Jackson had now been given two challenges - the time limit he was given and the two other drivers who believed they could beat him. Reaching Alturas, California, Jackson and Crocker stopped to wait for the tires. Who knew there were, Are there any other thesaurus lovers out there?