He accepted, even though at age 31 he did not own a car, had practically no experience driving, and had no maps to follow. The idea of driving across the country captured the imagination of millions of Americans. Horatio Nelson Jackson (March 25, 1872 - January 14, 1955) was an American physician and automobile pioneer. Jackson and Crocker were en route, but could not overtake them. If you click & make a purchase, I receive a commission! His beat includes earthquake research, marine biology, wildfire science, nuclear testing, archaeology, wildlife and scientific exploration of land and sea. Automobiles were in their infancy: The first American car had been produced only 10. "Which way to Marysville?" Postcard from the mid-1920s of a scene near Pocatello, Idaho before the road was officially named U.S. Highway 30.; (map on right) Route of Horatio's journey, arriving in Soda Springs June 16, 1903. As soon as they left San Francisco though, trouble began tochase them down. She extracted the Maxwell from washouts and mudholes with block and tackle, a jack, even fence rails under the wheels. Jackson had made it from San Francisco in 63 days, 12 hours, and 30 minutes - well within his wager of 90 days. 5 at three this afternoon, but a message this noon from the train agent says that he has nothing, so it is another day. The experiences and adventures of the trip have been of an exciting nature, which may be better understood when it is known that he traveled 3,000 miles through a country never before touched by an automobile. Winton Touring Car, 1903 | National Museum of American History Touch for map. [Horatio Nelson Jackson]. It was also the same year that the Frontier in America was consideredclosed. "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. Horatio's Drive is the first chapter in our nation's great romance with the road. Watch me now come to you.Nel. Despite mud, washouts, breakdowns, and a lack of roads and bridges in the West, they finished their trip in 63 days. Most. The Lincoln Highway was the first transcontinental motor route, created in 1913. By 1900, he had given up his medical practice and was happily spending his wife Bertha's money on property, travel, horses and, most recently, automobiles. In Caldwell, Idaho, they met a man who offered them a dog as a mascot. Horatio's Drive is a co-production of Florentine Films and WETA. Directions to Prescott, AZ - MapQuest A picture of Horatios dog, Bud, wearing driving goggles, caught my attention first. , Read More Who was Snowflake Bentley?Continue. Crocker Will Start this Morning on Automobile Trip They Hope Will End in New York. Horatioeventually settled inBurlington, Vermont, with his wife Bertha and faithful co-pilot Bud. 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. It was also the same year that the "Frontier" in America was considered closed. From there on, they were able to use a few paved roads, and their trip was much easier. 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? The Winton Touring Car "Vermont" and Bud Googles are displayed in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History until this day. His wife, though supportive of the trip, opted for a much easier train ride home to Vermont. At their next stop, Jackson had to wire his wife to send them money to Cheyenne, Wyoming. Be inspired! Our car will now be as good as new.We have had hard luck, but I think it all came at once. 1903 was a big year for the United States- President Teddy Roosevelt sent a wireless radio message across the Atlantic to the King of England, a cable was laid across the Pacific Ocean, completing the circuit and allowing Roosevelt to send the first telegraph around the world, and the Wright brothers made the worlds first airplane flight. Documentary film maker Ken Burns produced a film, Horatio's Drive, for PBS. But this newfangled automobile enticed Americans with two things they wanted most: freedom and mobility. America's first transcontinental road trip takes the checkered flag in Winton and the Great American Road Trip - Automotive Hall of Fame Horatio Nelson Jackson was a physician from Vermont who married Bertha Wells, the daughter of the richest man in Vermont. Churning dust irritated Buds eyes, and Jackson purchased this pair of goggles for him. 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. [12] While attached to the 313th Infantry, 79th Division as a surgeon, Jackson was wounded near Montfaucon during the MeuseArgonne Offensive. (Hollister Jackson was serving as Lieutenant Governor of Vermont when he died in the Great Vermont Flood of 1927. After repairing the flat, they stopped again inSacramento, CA to replace & upgrade their all too dim headlights and met some friendly cyclists who offered them road maps to the local area. Bud, a bulldog, accompanied the drivers, and was featured in many news photos. The journey was arduous and slow, but their trip made headlines wherever they went. The cross-country trip, which now takes about two days if you drive nonstop. Car: 1903 Winton two-seat touring car No. "Horacio was the big guy on the road with a brand new car. A series of American university professors of history provided background information. The Jackson party left Chicago at noon Saturday and arrived in Cleveland at 5:00 p.m. Monday, remarkably good time for notoriously bad roads which had been rendered worse by continued hard rains. Horatio's Drive is a co-production of Florentine Films and WETA. Keep in mind that most of what we knew about getting around the countryside at this time was oriented around the range of travel comfortable for your horse which on average was onlyabout 10-20 miles. Following the railroad right-of-way seemed the best way to go as they headed out. 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! Youre going to love it here. Allegedly Jackson made a $50 bet that he could drive from San Francisco to New York in less than 90 days. My darling Swipes. They would finally begin to make up much needed time after so many days spent waiting for parts, repairs and money back in the Rocky Mountain high country. Nelson Jackson, a physician and businessman from Burlington, Vermont, captured the nation's attention when he and Sewall K. Crocker, a mechanic, drove from California to New York. On the first night of the journey they discovered that the side lanterns were too dim. Jackson walked back to the town of Vale, Oregon to stock up on oil for this latestrepair. This article related to a made-for-TV documentary film is a stub. Horatio Jackson's Winton in the Smithsonian. My sense of humor gets me through life. ", "Col. Nelson Jackson: The Man Who Spent $8,000 to Win a $50 Bet" Martin Sheridan. The trip began after a discussion in a San Francisco mens club as to the feasibility of a transcontinental auto crossing. Having resupplied the best they could, they struck back out onto the open roader,open range. 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. THE FIRST TRANSCONTINENTAL AUTOMOBILE ROAD TRIP In 1903, a man named Dr. Horatio Nelson Jackson became the first person to drive across the country, from coast to coast. 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. An article in the. The press came out at every stop to take their picture and conduct interviews. After one harrowing drive over a stretch of narrow, bumpy road in the Cascade range, the two men noticed their cooking utensils had jiggled out. I shall think of you a good deal tomorrow, as I always do. There are a few windmill museums in the world and Ive been lucky enough to visit one. Horatio Jackson, Sewall Crocker, Bud and the "Vermont", Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, October 19, 2018, 4. They are repeatedly forced to use shovels and the block and tackle to push and drag the car through sand and mud. Jackson decided to take a more northerly route. [Horatio Nelson Jackson].[P.S.] This is a bad start for our first eleven days out. Yesterday the framer drove in for miles to see my machine and there has been a hundred people around the livery stable since our arrival. Film-maker Ken Burns presents the hilarious 1903 saga of the first transcontinental automobile trip. Mr. Crocker is a devotee of the new machines and expert as a chauffeur. Peter Kesling, 71, an orthodontist and antique auto museum owner from La Porte, Ind., has a good idea of what might be in store Tuesday when he climbs aboard his own 1903 Winton and starts out to duplicate the historic feat. When night came on we made camp beside the car, and having lost our cooking outfit and provisions, and [it] being an uninhabited region went to bed without any supper. [10] Their trip expended over 800 US gallons (3,000L) of gasoline. Horatio's Drive: America's First Road Trip - Wikipedia Horatio's Journey. I am always amazed by the hot air balloon gondolas on display, seeing how small they are while reading, Read More A Sky Full of Adventure at the Balloon MuseumContinue, I dont know what it is about windmills, but whenever I see one of the old classic designs out on the prairie, I just want to stop and take a picture. At a time when few women owned or drove cars, taking the wheel was a powerful symbolic act. (1) 'Bud,' a stray American bulldog, joined the journey. "A few people saw it as the wave of the future," Duncan said. What part of history will come to life when we see it with our own eyes? At 4:30 a.m. on July 26, 1903, Jackson and Crocker crossed the Harlem River into Manhattan to their final destination of the Holland House Hotel. In addition to owning and publishing the Burlington Daily News, he was head of the Burlington Trust Company, and owned and operated radio station WCAX (now WVMT). Here they prepare to light the acetylene gas headlamps. Press Clipping from Horatio Nelson Jacksons road trip across America. They were also given a 108-mile (174km) misdirection by a woman so that she could send them to the spot where her family could see an automobile.[6]. Dr. Jackson started his trek in San Francisco in a 20-horsepower Winton touring car he called "Vermont" (honoring the state in which he and his wife Bertha lived), and the final destination was Burlington, Vermont. Sign up for my occasional email updates! It is Near Soda Springs in Caribou County Idaho, 3. Im Sheila - a wife, mom to 3, and favorite human of a slightly-neurotic dog. Jackson was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on March 25, 1872, a son of Samuel Nelson Jackson (18381913) and Mary Anne (Parkyn) Jackson (18431916). I find it fascinating how similar my own road trip experiences were in some ways to the very first cross-country journey. PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Until that time, the current route was but a well-traveled wagon road parallel with the Oregon Short Line railroad. In 1903, two men and a dog made the first cross-country road trip Location. As I had been trying to steal one we were glad to get him so accepted the present (consideration $15.00). 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. (You can see a few clips on the PBS website.) This spur-of-the-moment trip, partially based on a bet, unknowingly turned into a race. This post contains affiliate links. I feel more confident that I can make New YorkWe are causing a great sensation along the road it is the first machine that has ever gone over these mountains. In Idaho, Jackson acquired Bud, and the bulldog accompanied the pioneering motorists to the East Coast. The way the streets of Lakeview were lined with people Tuesday afternoon, one would think a circus was coming to town, or a 4th of July procession was about to pass. . Jackson and his wife planned to return to their Burlington, Vermont, home in a few days, and both had been taking automobile driving lessons while in San Francisco. Subsequently, their mileage took a sharp increase andtheir rate of trail damage sharply decreased. Contents 1 Early life and medical career 2 Cross-country drive 2.1 Wager and preparation 2.2 Journey 3 Later life Peter's car is 100 years old, and he has to worry about semi-trucks.". York City. Tires, somewhat expectedly, continued to blow out forcing them at times to wind rope around the wheel so it could act as rudimentary tire but at least they could go on. To commemorate Jackson and Crocker's trip, a rerun of the approximate route in a similar 1903 vintage car will start in San Francisco on June 17 and finish the same day as the original 1903 drive, in New York City on July 26. This first successful cross-country road trip sealed the American love affair with the ultimate symbol of freedom the automobile. Enter Horatios Drive: Americas First Road Trip, a documentary produced by Ken Burns. All day yesterday it was visited by admiring automobilists, and curious passersby peeped in upon it. I feel confident we can make it.How I wish you were with me & that it was possible for you to take the tripWith a barrel full [of love], I am, as always, yours.Nelson. Let's share the joy of discovery together. Ken Burns: Horatio's Drive: America's First Road Trip DVD . Generally speaking, America in 1903 hadno roadsbetween cities, towns, or any other landmarks for that matter. The rough trek towards Oregon required them to haul the car across deep streams with the block and tackle. [6] They arrived in New York City on July 26, 1903, 63 days, 12 hours, and 30 minutes after commencing their journey in San Francisco, in the first automobile to successfully transit the North American continent. ", Bud, wrote Jackson, was "the one member of (our) trio who used no profanity on the entire trip.". His siblings included John Holmes Jackson, who served several terms as mayor of Burlington, Vermont. Peter Fimrite is The Chronicle's lead science reporter, covering environmental, atmospheric and ecosystem science. Having no mechanical experience, Jackson convinced a young mechanic and chauffeur, Sewall K. Crocker, to serve as his travel companion, mechanic, and backup driver. We focus on Mountain and Action Sports, Travel, Recreation, and the inspirational personalities that make up the New North American Western Lifestyle. Dr. Horatio Nelson Jackson, otherwise known as "The Mad Doctor," had no idea what he was getting into in 1903 when he strapped a spare tire onto his 20-horsepower Winton touring car and started out from San Francisco's Palace Hotel on the first automobile trip across America. He twice ran for Governor of Vermont. They include: Archival footage of Horatio Nelson Jackson is included. "They've never seen an automobile. I would be wrong. Who knew there were, Are there any other thesaurus lovers out there? Horatio Nelson Jackson (March 25, 1872 - January 14, 1955) was an American automobile pioneer. The rough and tumble wagon trails which they followed, combined with the noisiness of their Winton, rendered them unable to tell when they would lose valuable items off the back of the car. It turned out that the dusty alkali flats the travelers encountered would bother Bud's eyes so much (the Vermont had neither a roof nor windshield) that Jackson eventually fitted him with a pair of goggles. 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. In the spring of 1903, Dr. Horatio Nelson Jackson became the first person to cross the United States in a car, following portions of what is now US 30 in Idaho and Wyoming. How A $50 Bet Sparked America's First Cross-Country Road Trip In addition to the effect the rough roads had on their possessions, it also took its toll on the Winton and their equipment. Proper roads were so few and far between at this point, that there were no maps. Jackson and Crocker opted to start out following the railroad north into Oregon. Jackson had spent There were no gas stations and virtually no road maps as we know them today. 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. Sidebar ads are available in 125 x 125 and 480 x 60 sizes, in bi-monthly or six month intervals. , At the time of Horatio Jackson's trek, only 150 miles of paved road existed in the country, and gas stations and road maps were non-existent. Challenged by a sales manager for Maxwell automobiles, There were also no signs because most people out driving were locals who knew all the turns already. Questions? It is displayed with reproductions of supplies and equipment that the men carried. This they consented to do and in about an hour we were on our way again. Except for its heavy coat of mud and dilapidated front tires, the car is little the worse for its rough usage. Directions to Omaha, NE - MapQuest Hi! Jackson and Crocker set off from San Francisco at 1 p.m. on May 23, 1903. Whether or not a bet was really made, it did happen rather suddenly. [6] Before reaching Cheyenne, however, the car's wheel bearings gave out, and Crocker had to talk a farmer into letting them have the wheel bearings of his mowing machine. Jackson was unable to buy a new tire, but purchased some used inner tubes. Its subject is the first cross-country automobile journey in the United States, which occurred during the summer of 1903. [1] Another brother, Hollister Jackson, served as Lieutenant governor of Vermont. Between 12th and 14th Streets They left San Francisco on May 23, 1903, loaded with gear and enthusiasm. Darling Swipes,The car is at the shop & they are to work all night so that I can get away in the morning. Like Jackson, Ramsey and her three female passengers packed a block and tackle and used it often in the muddy Midwest. PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Wilson Alwyn Bentley was born on February 9, 1865, in Jericho, Vermont. The threat of the other teams would spur Jackson and Horatio on, pushing them to step up their pace across the unending Great Plains of Nebraska and beyond. Have you ever wondered about the first cross-country road trip? History of Ballooning The first exhibit tells about the history of ballooning from 1783 to the current day. Western roads were still unimproved in 1909 when Alice Huyler Ramsey drove across the country. Bud was a young, light-colored bulldog who immediately added life to the journey. (2) A team of horses rescued the car from being swallowed by quicksand. Thanks for stopping by my campfire to share a story. African American History Curatorial Collective. They helped prove that long-distance road travel was a realif expensive and difficultpossibility. In Oregon, their path would often require them to ford streams some of which were quick and easy while others would require them to get out, affix the block and tackle and man-haul their trusty steed across the raging torrents. What there was however, was a loose patchwork of wagon and horse trails connecting the sparse fabric of humanity. In 1916, suffragists Nell Richardson and Alice Burke, with their cat Saxon, drove across and around the country to drum up support for voting rights for women. So Bud is now with us.We stopped at Nampa and had lunch at the Dewey Hotel. 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. Americans have driven millions of miles back and forth across the country over the years but someone had to be first. Google Maps H. Nelson Jacksons trip in 1903 inspired dozens of motorists to cross the country. On June 9, outside of Vale, Oregon, the Vermont ran out of oil. In the spring and summer of 1903, Jackson and his mechanic, Sewall Crocker, drove this 1903 Winton touring car from San Francisco to New York City. Outside of major cities, spotting a car then was almost the equivalent of seeing a UFO today. This allowed them to avoid the higher passes in the Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountains. It started with an animated chat and a $50 bet over drinks at the University Club in San Francisco 100 years ago and culminated in a bumpy cross- country car trip on rudimentary roads with a bicycle mechanic and a dog wearing goggles riding shotgun. Everything that can break has broken already.". coats and sweaters and two small suitcases for their clothes 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 . Explore a chronology of the invention of the automobile. We leave in the morning for Oroville the last railway point we will have until we strike Ontario, [Oregon]. The public's perception of this newfangled conveyance took a deep public relations dive on Sept. 13, 1899, when Henry H. Bliss stepped off a streetcar in Manhattan and was flattened by an electric-powered taxicab, becoming the first automobile fatality in the country. The trek will begin at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco with a gala sendoff, including the attendance of filmmaker Ken Burns, who recently completed a documentary about the first cross-country drive. "Right down that road," she said and pointed. The film features many old songs, framed by a popular number from 1914 called "He'd Have to Get Under Get Out and Get Under (to Fix Up His Automobile)". There is nothing more quintessentially American than to set out on the open road in search of adventure. 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. 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! Horatio's Drive Follow the route that Horatio Nelson Jackson and his passengers took across the country. 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 The two-cylinder, 20-horsepower Winton that Kesling will be driving has only two speeds -- slow and slower. At 30 mph, "Horatio Nelson Jackson didn't have to worry about someone going 75 mph on the highway and running him over," said author Dayton Duncan, who wrote and co-produced the documentary and companion book "Horacio's Drive," with Burns. Sign up to get updates about the film and future projects from Ken Burns and Florentine Films. "Why did you send us way down there?" The only mishap happened just east of Buffalo, New York, when the Vermont ran into a hidden obstacle in the road and Jackson, Crocker, and Bud were thrown from the car. Click on each stop of the journey to learn. [7] Jackson and Crocker replaced it with the only spare they had, in fact, the only right-sized spare tire they could find in all of San Francisco. No sooner than Jackson had finished the repair however, that they then suffered a gasoline leak which wasted all their available fuel. The trip,. [8] Jackson had wanted a dog companion since Sacramento. Over a hundred years after Jacksons trip, I can still relate to some of his experiences. He also writes about the cannabis industry, outdoor adventure, Native American issues and the culture of the West. "From Sea to Sea in a Horseless Carriage", Dr. H.N. 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.