There had to be an easier way to win a $50 bet. Jackson and Crocker face obstacle after obstacle on their trip. 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! But if there was one thing Horatio had, it was a steadfast commitment to the dream. Western roads were still unimproved in 1909 when Alice Huyler Ramsey drove across the country. Ken Burns takes 'Horatio's Drive'. Of course, these guidebooks were only published in the more-populated East at the time. Then the caption about the first ever cross-country road trip sealed the deal. 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). As soon as they left San Francisco though, trouble began tochase them down. ", Jackson had wanted a dog along on the trip and purchased the American bulldog, Bud, in Caldwell, Idaho. Copyright20062023,Somerightsreserved. Their luck would soon begin to slowly turn when they purchased Bud, a Pit Bull they obtained from a rancher near Caldwell, Idaho. My darling Swipes. It had no windshield and no top. Questions? All attempts heretofore to go overland in an automobile have come to grief either through the machines breaking down or because long stretches of sand were encountered through which the horseless carriages could make no headway. 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 . Mr. Murdock did all the driving and even drove for more than twelve hours on a few days, just to cover more distance (just like me on my road trips!). There will be breakdowns and tears and stories to last you through the years so get out there and start exploring! We shall try & get away tonight. I am a little ahead of time but Lord knows when I will get time to write again. On a visionary whim and a $50 bet, Dr. Horatio Nelson Jackson became the first person to drive an automobile across the continent. They were facing a daunting task. In 1903, he and driving partner Sewall K. Crocker became the first people to drive an automobile across the United States. Horatio Nelson Jackson | Military Wiki | Fandom Directions to Omaha, NE - MapQuest All day yesterday it was visited by admiring automobilists, and curious passersby peeped in upon it. Despite mud, washouts, breakdowns, and a lack of roads and bridges in the West, they finished their trip in 63 days. In 1903, he and driving partner Sewall K. Crocker became the first people to drive an automobile across the United States. Going northwards out of Sacramento, the noise of the car covered the fact that the duo's cooking gear was falling off. Jackson decided to give it a try. Contents 1 Early life and medical career 2 Cross-country drive 2.1 Wager and preparation 2.2 Journey 3 Later life Jackson walked back to the town of Vale, Oregon to stock up on oil for this latestrepair. 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. Pin it so that others can experience the first American cross-country road trip and compare it to some of their own adventures! But, 2 days after the bet, Horatiofinalized the purchase of his first car, a Winton that he dubbed The Vermont after his home state. Dr. Jackson is a man of wealth, who is very fond of automobiling. It was one of the few original parts never replaced during the entire journey. "The rubber tires on the machine were somewhat worn and a new supply was ordered from the East by telegraph to be sent to this place. 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. [Horatio Nelson Jackson].[P.S.] Packard and Oldsmobile had for several months been meticulously planning similar trips with expert drivers and mechanics, support crews and modified cars when Jackson simply loaded up the Winton and split. Here they prepare to light the acetylene gas headlamps. Touch for map. View my full disclosure. Jackson, who was 31 in 1903, was undaunted by these conspicuous failures. Jackson decided to take a more northerly route. About 15 miles (24km) from home his car once again broke down. From there on, they were able to use a few paved roads, and their trip was much easier. Horatio's Drive America's First Road Trip 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 United States in the new-fangled "horseless carriage." Doctors were outnumbered by blacksmiths and most Americans rarely traveled than twelve miles from home because that was the distance a horse-and-wagon could cover to take them out and back home again in a single day. On May 23, 1903 the car was transported by ferry from San Francisco to Oakland and pointed eastward. Those who had seen automobiles mostly complained about the noise and dust they caused and their tendency to spook horses. The travelers eventually reached Omaha, Nebraska, on July 12. Following the war, he became one of the founders of theAmerican Legion, and twice ran forGovernor of Vermont. The first effort to cross the country in 1899 ended inauspiciously for the car. Press Clipping from Horatio Nelson Jacksons road trip across America. Items continued to be lost, including another pair of Jackson's glasses. In 1903, H. Nelson Jackson and Sewall K. Crocker completed the first motor trip across the United States in this car, which Jackson named for his home state. used a block and tackle to pull the car out of mudholes. The First: Cross-Country Road Trip - historynet.com Darling Swipes,The car is at the shop & they are to work all night so that I can get away in the morning. I find it fascinating how similar my own road trip experiences were in some ways to the very first cross-country journey. Making matters worse, these trails were generally considered informaland werent typically mapped with any senseof care or accuracy. Alturas, California. My sense of humor gets me through life. 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. 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. Allegedly Jackson made a $50 bet that he could drive from San Francisco to New York in less than 90 days. In Idaho, Jackson acquired Bud, and the bulldog accompanied the pioneering motorists to the East Coast. There are a few windmill museums in the world and Ive been lucky enough to visit one. The cross-country trip, which now takes about two days if you drive nonstop. [Horatio Nelson Jackson]. 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. Just as soon as I can get decent tires we will make a record run. Dr. Jackson left his practice after a diagnosis of tuberculosis. . Horatio Jackson's Winton in the Smithsonian. This added several hundred miles to their route but they hoped to avoid the problems that Alexander Winton had faced in the desert sands of Nevada. This spur-of-the-moment trip, partially based on a bet, unknowingly turned into a race. We left Caldwell at eight oclock and after running a few miles out of town I found that I had forgotten my coat. Somewhere along this route, Jackson lost a pair of his glasses. Traveled at 40 mph, and "said they sometimes spurted up to 60 miles an hour.". Winton Touring Car, 1903 | National Museum of American History Google Maps Occasionally horses and cars gave her [1] He graduated with an MD degree from the University of Vermont in 1893, became a physician, and practiced in Brattleboro and Burlington. )[11], A longtime member of the Vermont National Guard when World War I broke out, Jackson was considered too old for active service, but he contacted former President Theodore Roosevelt (whom he had met at some point in Burlington), through whose influence Jackson was placed on active duty as a captain in the Medical Corps. In Caldwell, Idaho, they met a man who offered them a dog as a mascot. Marker is on Soda Point Power Plant Road near Reservoir Road, on the right when traveling south. Jackson had now been given two challenges - the time limit he was given and the two other drivers who believed they could beat him. While crossing the Rocky Mountains, they were moving boulders by hand out of their path. They helped prove that long-distance road travel was a realif expensive and difficultpossibility. In those days, almost all of the paved roads were in cities, and most people traveled no more than 12 miles from their homes. 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. 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! Louise Davis wrote of their attempt, The automobile is a treacherous animal for a long trip.. I have been using thesauruses (thesauri is the preferred plural of the author but thesauruses is definitely more fun to say!) 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. Automobiles were in their infancy: The first American car had been produced only 10. On our way back we were stopped by a man and asked if I didnt want a dog for a mascot. We returned and took supper with the section hand. [6] Newspapers at the time gave a variety of stories of how Bud was acquired, including that he was stolen; in a letter to his wife, Nelson said a man sold him the dog for $15[9] (equivalent to $452 in 2021[3]). 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). Data by OpenStreetMap, under CC BY SA. This Place in History: Dr. H. Nelson Jackson - Local 22/44 News But when he, his mechanic, Sewall Crocker, and American bulldog Bud arrived in New York, a new era in American transportation had begun. He then hired a partner/mechanic, Samuel Crocker, who was a successful bicycle racer to accompany him on his journey east. Mr. Crocker is a devotee of the new machines and expert as a chauffeur. Jackson had spent In 1903, two men and a dog made the first cross-country road trip The family all turned out to stare at us and told us we'd have to go back.We went back, and met the red-haired young woman again. Fortunately, Jackson was an optimist. "They were the visionaries and crackpots, which is sometimes the same person. This article about a historical documentary film is a stub. This growing glimmer of hope eventually attracted the attention of the Press, who would anticipate their next town arrival and show up to document their adventures. He owned a newspaper, a bank andradio station WCAX (nowWVMT). PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Ken Burns takes 'Horatio's Drive' - UPI.com The trip began after a discussion in a San Francisco mens club as to the feasibility of a transcontinental auto crossing. , The route of US 30 traces its origin to the early 1900s. 5 at three this afternoon, but a message this noon from the train agent says that he has nothing, so it is another day. "Ocean to Ocean in an Automobile Car," Stephen Sears, Bud grew so accustomed to his riding goggles that "he would not begin the day's drive without them. Horatio's Drive is the first chapter in our nation's great romance with the road. Ramseys sisters-in-law and a friend accompanied her on the trip from New York to San Francisco. About the Film | Horatio's Drive | Ken Burns | PBS On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Sign up for my occasional email updates! They left from New York and traveled so slowly that a one-armed bicyclist who started 10 days after them passed them before they made it to Syracuse at which point they abandoned the attempt. Horatioeventually settled inBurlington, Vermont, with his wife Bertha and faithful co-pilot Bud. Keep reading The Pony Express is a well-known American mail delivery service of the early 1860s. Nell Richardson, Alice Burke, and the Golden Flier, 1916. Theres also a book which I grabbed on my very next visit to the library. No one was injured; it was the only accident on the trip. . 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. Except for its heavy coat of mud and dilapidated front tires, the car is little the worse for its rough usage. The machine drove up in front of the Hotel Lakeview and stopped.The Chauffeur inquired for a blacksmith shop, having had a mishap coming over the rough roads. Road Trip Pioneer - Behind Every Day If Im laughing, even at myself, then Im not crying, right? Lets follow along on his journey, shall we? [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. About the Film | Horatio's Drive | Ken Burns | PBS Our car will now be as good as new.We have had hard luck, but I think it all came at once. "I had," he later recalled, "succumbed completely to a primary enthusiasm for the newfangled horseless buggy.". Sometimes, though, we had to hunt for five miles to find a place where we could get our machine on the track. On June 16, somewhere in Idaho, Jackson's coat, containing most of the travelers' money, fell off and was not found. After leaving New York City Jackson joined his wife and drove home to Vermont. Peter Fimrite is The Chronicle's lead science reporter, covering environmental, atmospheric and ecosystem science. This physical limitation defined the spaces people occupied at the last turn of the century and made wandering beyond these informal limits rare and difficult. 1899 -Louise and John Davis made the first known attempt to drive a car from coast to coast. The possibilities of the open road What natural wonder will we see today? Jackson attended the schools of Toronto and Toronto's collegiate institute. It got people thinking about long-distance highways.". The Pres of the firm with his associates came out & we had quite a procession into the city. "; (bottom center) She returned home by train, allowing him to take his adventure by automobile. Somewhere near Caldwell, Idaho, Jackson and Crocker obtained a dog, a bulldog named Bud. African American History Curatorial Collective. Between June 20 and 21, all three of them got lost in Wyoming, and went without food for 36 hours before finding a sheepherder who gave them a meal of roast lamb and boiled corn. 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 . Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps. Many days of travel are lost as they sit waiting for repair parts to arrive via train or stagecoach. He also writes about the cannabis industry, outdoor adventure, Native American issues and the culture of the West. Jackson was seated in a gentleman's club when he overheard a discussion at another table about the impracticability of automobiles. Here we slept under our carriage. Having no mechanical experience, Jackson convinced a young mechanic and chauffeur, Sewall K. Crocker, to serve as his travel companion, mechanic, and backup driver. This is a bad start for our first eleven days out. Hi, Im Sheila laid-back, sometimes creative, a little curious, and always ready for a last-minute adventure.