This article related to a made-for-TV documentary film is a stub. At one point, Bud drank bad water and became ill, but survived. But, 2 days after the bet, Horatiofinalized the purchase of his first car, a Winton that he dubbed The Vermont after his home state. Their luck would soon begin to slowly turn when they purchased Bud, a Pit Bull they obtained from a rancher near Caldwell, Idaho. The possibilities of the open road What natural wonder will we see today? The running time to Alturas was five and a half days; about 125 miles per day, without accident or incident worthy of mention. Jackson and Crocker opted to start out following the railroad north into Oregon. Bud became an efficient watchman and was left in front seat at all stops to guard the car and equipment. Horatio Nelson Jacksons road trip occasionally picked up help from more traditional means, More trailside repairs on Horatio Nelson Jacksons 1903 Road Trip, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window). 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 . 5 at three this afternoon, but a message this noon from the train agent says that he has nothing, so it is another day. On July 26, 1903, Horatio Nelson Jackson, a 31-year-old Vermont doctor, and his 22-year-old mechanic, Sewall Crocker, became the first to cross the United States in an automobile. On July 12, the two men and the dog arrived in Nebraska where they found themselves back on paved roads. He accepted, even though at age 31 he did not own a car, had practically no experience driving, and had no maps to follow. . In 1903, H. Nelson Jackson, Sewall Crocker, It has been an awful long time to us and I shall be mighty glad when we are on the way again and unless another serious accident happens we ought to be able to make good time across these plainsWell, tomorrow is our anniversary & I wish I could be with you. Horatio Jackson, Sewall Crocker, Bud and the "Vermont", Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, October 19, 2018, 4. Captions: (left) Horatio Nelson Jackson (driving), Sewall K. Crocker (right), and Bud in the "Vermont. He remained on duty until severely wounded by high-explosive shells, when he was obliged to evacuate.[16]. "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. Driving Directions to Prescott, AZ including road conditions, live traffic updates, and reviews of local businesses along the way. 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! They are repeatedly forced to use shovels and the block and tackle to push and drag the car through sand and mud. In 1903, he and driving partner Sewall K. Crocker became the first people to drive an automobile across the United States. Want to know what happened? Pin it so that others can experience the first American cross-country road trip and compare it to some of their own adventures! 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 In 1903, Dr. Horatio Nelson Jackson single handedly silenced a conversation taking place at the San Francisco University Club. more than 30 times. California to New York. Take good care of yourself & dont worry. While it was neither, the people's curiosity had been aroused from a report that an automobile was coming this way, and that if they wished to see it pass it was necessary to have a seat in the front row, otherwise it might go through at the rate of 90 miles an hour, and would be out of sight before they could run a block.It drove in sight at just 4 o'clock and the crowds surged forward to get a first look at a real live auto, a machine that nine-tenths of the people of Lake county had never seen. The soundtrack includes a variety of music, including some bluegrass instrumentals and a modern rendition by Bobby Horton of an old song called "He'd Have to Get Under Get Out and Get Under (to Fix Up His Automobile)". The trip took 64 days, including numerous delays while the two men waited for parts or paused to hoist the Winton up and over a gully. 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. (You can see a few clips on the PBS website.) Get set for an adventure that marked a new era in America! Between 12th and 14th Streets The Winton Touring Car "Vermont" and Bud Googles are displayed in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History until this day. As soon as they left San Francisco though, trouble began tochase them down. 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. The technology nevertheless began to catch on, slowly. Touch for map. The thick coating of mud gave evidence that it had been somewhere and that somewhere a long way off. This historical marker was erected by America's Byways. Wilson Bentley was an amazingly passionate man who dedicated his life to photographing microscopic snowflakes. Please give my best love to your mother & tell [my] father & mother that I love them as much as ever. There are a few windmill museums in the world and Ive been lucky enough to visit one. PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. for many, many years. He also writes about the cannabis industry, outdoor adventure, Native American issues and the culture of the West. The duo was assisted in Sacramento by bicyclists who offered them road maps. Sometimes, though, we had to hunt for five miles to find a place where we could get our machine on the track. All Rights Reserved. [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. The two-cylinder, 20-horsepower Winton that Kesling will be driving has only two speeds -- slow and slower. Here they prepare to light the acetylene gas headlamps. We left Caldwell at eight oclock and after running a few miles out of town I found that I had forgotten my coat. Jackson was unable to replenish the tire he blew but was however able to purchase some slightly used inner tubes. Dr. Jackson is a man of wealth, who is very fond of automobiling. 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. Enough gasoline can be carried to run the machine 250 miles. Early life and medical career [ edit] Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps. And no, it hadnt been lost for 158 years. [13], Jackson's military awards included the Distinguished Service Cross, the Legion of Honour, and the Croix de Guerre. 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. Thanks! His two brothers, each driving his own automobile, came to help him get going again. Hmm, perhaps youve never stopped to think about it before. Sign up to get updates about the film and future projects from Ken Burns and Florentine Films. Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). 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! Its subject is the first cross-country automobile journey in the United States, which occurred during the summer of 1903. No sooner than Jackson had finished the repair however, that they then suffered a gasoline leak which wasted all their available fuel. In Idaho, Jackson acquired Bud, and the bulldog accompanied the pioneering motorists to the East Coast. . I am tired & got to get up early in the morning & damn anxious to get you in my arms. Jackson and Crocker followed trails, rivers, mountain passes, alkali flats, and the Union Pacific Railroad across the West. In Caldwell, Idaho, they met a man who offered them a dog as a mascot. Jackson walked back to the town of Vale, Oregon to stock up on oil for this latestrepair. [1] His siblings included John Holmes Jackson, who served several terms as mayor of Burlington, Vermont. Both Packard and Oldsmobile were unable to maintain their forward progress through the tough times of the Rockies and within a month each, they eventually gave up their efforts to beat Horatio, Jackson and Bud to be the first to complete a journey across the North American continent in an automobile. All Rights Reserved. Horatio Nelson Jackson died on January 14, 1955, at the age of 82. 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. Those who had seen automobiles mostly complained about the noise and dust they caused and their tendency to spook horses. Mr. Crocker is a devotee of the new machines and expert as a chauffeur. My darling Swipes,We expected our express on No. From there on, they were able to use a few paved roads, and their trip was much easier. Constitution Avenue, NW Jackson had now been given two challenges - the time limit he was given and the two other drivers who believed they could beat him. I asked her. Jackson was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on March 25, 1872, a son of Samuel Nelson Jackson (18381913) and Mary Anne (Parkyn) Jackson (18431916). [6], Jackson continued to reside in Burlington, Vermont, with his wife Bertha and Bud the dog. Jackson did manage to find a telegraph office and wired back to San Francisco for replacement tires to be transported to them along the journey. 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]. Tom Hanks provided the voice-over narration for Horatio Nelson Jackson. "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. [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. Following the war, he became one of the founders of theAmerican Legion, and twice ran forGovernor of Vermont. He then hired a partner/mechanic, Samuel Crocker, who was a successful bicycle racer to accompany him on his journey east. She returned home by train, allowing him to take his adventure by automobile. I came pretty nearly having cold feet. If Im laughing, even at myself, then Im not crying, right? In those days, almost all of the paved roads were in cities, and most people traveled no more than 12 miles from their homes. completed the first transcontinental automobile trip, from San Francisco to New York, in 63 days, 12 hours and 30 minutes. Reaching Alturas, California, Jackson and Crocker stopped to wait for the tires. At the time there were only 150 miles of paved roads in the entire country, all of them within city limits. It was also the same year that the "Frontier" in America was considered closed. We took that road for miles and then it came to a dead end at an isolated farmhouse. We shall try & get away tonight. 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. The travelers eventually reached Omaha, Nebraska, on July 12. (2) A team of horses rescued the car from being swallowed by quicksand. Steve Perkins, Executive Director of the Vermont Historical Society, gives us a little background, before launching into the fascinating story of Dr. Horatio Nelson Jackson. While crossing the Rocky Mountains, they were moving boulders by hand out of their path. Between 1909 and 1975, Ramsey drove across the country "Horatio's Drive: America's First Road Trip", Learn how and when to remove this template message, He'd Have to Get Under Get Out and Get Under (to Fix Up His Automobile), The Shakers: Hands to Work, Hearts to God, Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio, Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery, Not for Ourselves Alone: The Story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton & Susan B. Anthony, Horatio's Drive: America's First Road Trip, Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Horatio%27s_Drive:_America%27s_First_Road_Trip&oldid=1107453344, Documentary films about United States history, Articles needing additional references from May 2019, All articles needing additional references, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 30 August 2022, at 02:26. Dr. H. Nelson Jackson and Sewall K. Crocker, his chauffeur, finished the first transcontinental automobile trip at half-past four o'clock yesterday morning. Jackson was unable to buy a new tire, but purchased some used inner tubes. In 1903, he and driving partner Sewall K. Crocker became the first people to drive an automobile across the United States. Later, somewhere in Idaho, they lost Jacksons coat which contained most of the travelers money. Then the caption about the first ever cross-country road trip sealed the deal. Somewhere near Caldwell, Idaho, Jackson and Crocker obtained a dog, a bulldog named Bud. The axle crank and two connecting rods broke and they had to send to the Cleveland factory to replace them. In 1909, Alice Huyler Ramsey, of Hackensack, New Jersey, became the first woman to drive across the United States. After delivering their luggage to the section boss we started on for Bitter Creek, crossing two rivers over the railroad bridge. (3) The car's 'cyclometer' fell off before crossing Idaho, leaving no way to tell how fast or how far they traveled for the remainder of the trip. I am not much of a hand to write love letters: you didnt give me a chance for much practice, but you know dear how I feel. 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. A picture of Horatios dog, Bud, wearing driving goggles, caught my attention first. After twomore days ofplanning and preparation, the two began their unbelievable impromptu journey eastwardtowards New York City. "Which way to Marysville?" 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. The Winton Motor Carriage Company published details about the Jackson-Crocker cross-country trip and emphasized the cars ruggedness and reliability. Its not until they reach Iowa that they finally begin to travel at a decent unimpeded speed, averaging nearly 150 miles per day. At Hailey, Idaho, Crocker wired the Winton Motor Carriage Company for more parts, which, combined with the increasing press coverage, spurred the Winton car company to step up their support efforts since to them it meant an increased positive image of the company. 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. [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. [Horatio Nelson Jackson].[P.S.] As an indication of how slow this trip would turn out to be, the first stop was a few blocks east of the Palace Hotel -- the San Francisco-Oakland ferry terminal. After removing the backseat to make room for more gear, they packed the following items to begin the long journey: Unfortunately, a lot of their gear bounced out the back as they drove without them realizing it and several things were lost including two pairs of Jacksons eyeglasses. There is nothing more quintessentially American than to set out on the open road in search of adventure. Thankfully, they could then manage about 250 miles a day. 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. The automobile was about to transform American life. What part of history will come to life when we see it with our own eyes? He purchased a 1903 Winton In 1903 there were only 150 miles of paved roads in the entire nation and most people had never seen a "horseless buggy" - but that did not stop Horatio Nelson Jackson, a 31-year-old Vermont doctor, who impulsively bet $50 that he could drive his 20-horsepower automobile from San Francisco to New York City.