At first they lost their cookware, but while still in California, Jackson also lost his glasses. 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. Be inspired! In Caldwell, Idaho, they met a man who offered them a dog as a mascot. We leave in the morning for Oroville the last railway point we will have until we strike Ontario, [Oregon]. After driving the distance, they moved the path back in front of the car, repeating the process until they cleared the area. Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps. This historical marker was erected by America's Byways. The list price 100 years ago for Jackson's 1903 Winton Touring Car was $2,500, about $50,000 in today's money. The Winton Touring Car "Vermont" and Bud Googles are displayed in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History until this day. 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. 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. History of Ballooning The first exhibit tells about the history of ballooning from 1783 to the current day. Going northwards out of Sacramento, the noise of the car covered the fact that the duo's cooking gear was falling off. The further they pushed on through Idaho and Wyoming, the more it seemed that the team would actually make it. Dr. Nelson has provided the very latest kind of gasoline machine, large and commodious and 20-horsepower. Here we were advised to changed our course a little and take the left hand road of the R. R. One old fellow said keep to the left road. In 1901, a much-publicized attempt by car manufacturer Alexander Winton to go from San Francisco to New York came to an unceremonious halt in a sand drift in Nevada. Copyright20062023,Somerightsreserved. [Horatio Nelson Jackson] Interactive Map Home . WhenWorld War Ibroke out, Jackson was considered too old to serve, but he contactedPresident Theodore Roosevelt and volunteered to became a commissioned officer. The car is at the shop & they are to work all night so that I can get away in the morning I go from here to Buffalo. 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. I am a little ahead of time but Lord knows when I will get time to write again. coats and sweaters and two small suitcases for their clothes 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. Horatio Nelson Jackson died on January 14, 1955, at the age of 82. Wilson Bentley was an amazingly passionate man who dedicated his life to photographing microscopic snowflakes. But still, troubles continued to plague Horatio and Jackson. He is also very handy at repairing, a faculty that may prove of value. The Lincoln Highway was the first transcontinental motor route, created in 1913. He'd Have to Get Under Get Out and Get Under (to Fix Up His Automobile), "The First Cross-Country Road Trip Took 2 Men and a Pitbull 63 Days", "Three Transports in with Men and Supplies", "Col. Jackson, Legion's Father in Vt., Is Dead", "Persons from Many Parts of Vt. to Attend Col. Jackson's Funeral", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Horatio_Nelson_Jackson&oldid=1135349527, Bertha Richardson Wells (m. 1899 d. 1954), first U.S. cross country trip by automobile, This page was last edited on 24 January 2023, at 03:30. 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 . Peter's car is 100 years old, and he has to worry about semi-trucks.". African American History Curatorial Collective. There is nothing more quintessentially American than to set out on the open road in search of adventure. His enthusiasm was matched only by his underestimate of the effort needed to accomplish the journey. "They were the visionaries and crackpots, which is sometimes the same person. On the first night of the journey they discovered that the side lanterns were too dim. 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. Jackson and Crocker set off from San Francisco at 1 p.m. on May 23, 1903. Outside of major cities, spotting a car then was almost the equivalent of seeing a UFO today. By all accounts,Horatios bet was one made in the innocence of drunken exuberance. There were no gas stations and virtually no road maps as we know them today. Ramseys sisters-in-law and a friend accompanied her on the trip from New York to San Francisco. 1899 -Louise and John Davis made the first known attempt to drive a car from coast to coast. [13], Jackson's military awards included the Distinguished Service Cross, the Legion of Honour, and the Croix de Guerre. 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)". In 1909, Alice Huyler Ramsey, of Hackensack, New Jersey, became the first woman to drive across the United States. My darling Swipes. Jackson decided to give it a try. "At the time they made the trip, there was a perception that the American frontier was closed. "Everyone pooh- poohed the idea of even attempting such a journey.". Jackson died on January 14, 1955 in Burlington, Vermont and was buried in the Lakeview Cemetery there. 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). In 1916, a car covered its entire length in just 5 days so much faster than that first trip across the country! There had to be an easier way to win a $50 bet. Somewhere along this route, Jackson lost a pair of his glasses. The idea of driving across the country captured the imagination of millions of Americans. If you click & make a purchase, I receive a commission! No sooner than Jackson had finished the repair however, that they then suffered a gasoline leak which wasted all their available fuel. [1] He married Bertha Richardson Wells, the daughter of William Wells, a Medal of Honor recipient and one of the richest men in Vermont as a partner in Wells, Richardson & Co., manufacturer of Paine's Celery Compound, a popular patent medicine. After delivering their luggage to the section boss we started on for Bitter Creek, crossing two rivers over the railroad bridge. At one point, Bud drank bad water and became ill, but survived. Theres also a book which I grabbed on my very next visit to the library. 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. In 1903, Dr. Horatio Nelson Jackson single handedly silenced a conversation taking place at the San Francisco University Club. 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. "They've never seen an automobile. Jackson was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on March 25, 1872, a son of Samuel Nelson Jackson (1838-1913) and Mary Anne (Parkyn) Jackson (1843-1916). "I had," he later recalled, "succumbed completely to a primary enthusiasm for the newfangled horseless buggy.". Hmm, perhaps youve never stopped to think about it before. 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. I shall write you when I can & shall depend on you to keep them posted.Yours till New York, Nelson.[P.S.] PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. 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. Following the war, he became one of the founders of theAmerican Legion, and twice ran forGovernor of Vermont. He purchased a 1903 Winton Its not until they reach Iowa that they finally begin to travel at a decent unimpeded speed, averaging nearly 150 miles per day. The running time to Alturas was five and a half days; about 125 miles per day, without accident or incident worthy of mention. 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. On May 23, 1903 the car was transported by ferry from San Francisco to Oakland and pointed eastward. Jackson walked back to the last town to get oil, only to discover eventually that they had been stopped only a short distance outside of Vale. The possibilities of the open road What natural wonder will we see today? He also had the sense to hire a good bicycle-turned-car mechanic in Crocker. As soon as they left San Francisco though, trouble began tochase them down. 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. 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. He accepted, even though at age 31 he did not own a car, had practically no experience driving, and had no maps to follow. Got onto the right road again and reached Orchid at eleven oclock. Even before we had cars, Americans have been drawn out to explore the unknown horizons. 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. From there on, they were able to use a few paved roads, and their trip was much easier. 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. Jackson was seated in a gentleman's club when he overheard a discussion at another table about the impracticability of automobiles. 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. This they consented to do and in about an hour we were on our way again. The Pres of the firm with his associates came out & we had quite a procession into the city. 42 38.862 N, 111 42.124 W. Marker is near Soda Springs, Idaho, in Caribou County. Between 12th and 14th Streets Somewhere near Caldwell, Idaho, Jackson and Crocker obtained a dog, a bulldog named Bud. Data by OpenStreetMap, under CC BY SA. [6] When their tires blew out they were required to wind rope around the wheels. What part of history will come to life when we see it with our own eyes? "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. We focus on Mountain and Action Sports, Travel, Recreation, and the inspirational personalities that make up the New North American Western Lifestyle. 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. Horatio Jackson, Sewall Crocker, Bud and the "Vermont", Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, October 19, 2018, 4. (1) 'Bud,' a stray American bulldog, joined the journey. When the travelers reached Omaha, Nebraska on July 12 they were able to stitch together a few paved roads in between the stretches of older wagon trails. The rough trek towards Oregon required them to haul the car across deep streams with the block and tackle. This we did the result being that we ran across the desert to Swanton Falls a distance, out of our way, 38 miles. This spur-of-the-moment trip, partially based on a bet, unknowingly turned into a race. 1st auto passed thru yesterday; came via Camas Prairie and Croy Gulch to Hailey, "hence to Bellevue and on to Blackfoot." In Idaho, Jackson acquired Bud, and the bulldog accompanied the pioneering motorists to the East Coast. Washington, D.C. Email powered by MailChimp (Privacy Policy & Terms of Use). The film is based on the book of the same name by Dayton Duncan. 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. [Horatio Nelson Jackson].[P.S.] I find it fascinating how similar my own road trip experiences were in some ways to the very first cross-country journey. 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. 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. 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. Our experts bring you content that exemplifies life in the North American Western States and Provinces. touring car, named it Vermont, and headed east. H. Nelson Jackson, a physician and businessman from Burlington, Vermont, captured the nations attention when he and Sewall K. Crocker, a mechanic, drove from A map of Horatio's route and his 63-day itinerary The Gear After removing the backseat to make room for more gear, they packed the following items to begin the long journey: sleeping bags cooking gear rubber mackintoshes for themselves and the car (remember - no roof, no windshield!) Horatio Nelson Jackson, a physician and automobile pioneer, and Sewall Crocker arrive in New York on July 26, 1903, completing the first continental crossing by car, a journey prompted by a. Jackson decided to take a more northerly route. Dr. H. Nelson Jackson and Sewall K. Crocker, his chauffeur, finished the first transcontinental automobile trip at half-past four o'clock yesterday morning. No one was injured; it was the only accident on the trip. One hundred years later, another doctor is following in Jackson's patched tire tracks. 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 was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on March 25, 1872, a son of Samuel Nelson Jackson (18381913) and Mary Anne (Parkyn) Jackson (18431916). [1] His siblings included John Holmes Jackson, who served several terms as mayor of Burlington, Vermont. Bud was a young, light-colored bulldog who immediately added life to the journey. The trip,. With lots of love to all I am yours.NelsonP.S. His traveling companions were Sewall K. Crocker and a bulldog, Bud. Basin & Range is the premier resource for living the Active Outdoor Western Lifestyle. At Hailey, Idaho, Crocker wired the Winton Company for more parts. 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. more than 30 times. Horatio's Drive is the first chapter in our nation's great romance with the road. 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. In 1903, he and driving partner Sewall K. Crocker became the first people to drive an automobile across the United States. 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. They include: Archival footage of Horatio Nelson Jackson is included. The axle crank and two connecting rods broke and they had to send to the Cleveland factory to replace them. It is displayed with reproductions of supplies and equipment that the men carried. Many days of travel are lost as they sit waiting for repair parts to arrive via train or stagecoach. The journey was arduous and slow, but their trip made headlines wherever they went. Horatio Nelson Jackson departed San Francisco onMay 23rd, 1903 for what was to become Americas first ever road trip and all because of a 50 dollar bet made just 5 days prior. And having become the first to drive a car across the nation, within hours of their. He was frightening horses. If Im laughing, even at myself, then Im not crying, right? Sometimes, though, we had to hunt for five miles to find a place where we could get our machine on the track. Jackson (at the wheel) enlisted Sewall Crocker as his mechanic and co-driver, and bought a used Winton touring car. So Bud is now with us.We stopped at Nampa and had lunch at the Dewey Hotel. 2023 Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). On a visionary whim and a $50 bet, Dr. Horatio Nelson Jackson became the first person to drive an automobile across the continent. 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. 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. Im laid-back, sometimes scattered, a little curious, love to laugh, and always up for a fun road trip. Its subject is the first cross-country automobile journey in the United States, which occurred during the summer of 1903. The automobile with Jackson and Crocker, crossing the continent, which left here Thursday was badly smashed up twelve miles east of this city on a smooth road while running twenty five miles an hour. View my full disclosure. Between 1909 and 1975, Ramsey drove across the country Dr. Jackson left his practice after a diagnosis of tuberculosis. 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. "In the last three months I've been driving it every day in preparation for the trip and every day something breaks," Kesling said. This article about a historical documentary film is a stub. 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. His siblings included John Holmes Jackson, who served several terms as mayor of Burlington, Vermont. (5) Both men and the dog were thrown from the car after striking an obstacle. The jaunt will not only be a trip back in history, but a clash of early 20th and 21st century technologies. Very few of our citizens had ever seen this, one of the wonders of the century, and large crowds gazed with curious interest at the horseless wagon. Having no mechanical experience, Jackson convinced a young mechanic and chauffeur, Sewall K. Crocker, to serve as his travel companion, mechanic, and backup driver. PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Nell Richardson, Alice Burke, and the Golden Flier, 1916. 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. 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. 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. They left San Francisco on May 23, 1903, loaded with gear and enthusiasm. Interested in having your company's ad featured on Basin & Range Magazine? Two other motoring partieseach anxious to claim the title of first to drive across countrydeparted while 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. 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. ", "Col. Nelson Jackson: The Man Who Spent $8,000 to Win a $50 Bet" Martin Sheridan. The trouble started with a flat tire near Hayward and, from then on, he and Crocker were alternately working on the car, pulling it out of mud holes, teetering on the edge of cliffs or simply getting lost. That someone was Horatio Jackson Nelson. 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. (Hollister Jackson was serving as Lieutenant Governor of Vermont when he died in the Great Vermont Flood of 1927. Sidebar ads are available in 125 x 125 and 480 x 60 sizes, in bi-monthly or six month intervals. Reaching Alturas, California, Jackson and Crocker stopped to wait for the tires. ), 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! As the nineteenth century came to an end, there were only 8,000 cars in the United States compared to 14 million horses. 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. An automobile trip across the continent that will be watched with a great deal of interest will start from this city this morning. Horatio's Drive is a co-production of Florentine Films and WETA. Horatio, Jackson and Bud Passing through town. Jackson estimated the cost of his 6,000 mile road trip as $8,000 which had been spent on the car, Crockers salary, food and lodging, never-ending new tires and repair parts, 800 gallons of gas, and the $15 spent to buy Bud. 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. We shall now try & make a record trip. Sign up for my occasional email updates! All Rights Reserved. I want to celebrate here by getting my new parts. The press came out at every stop to take their picture and conduct interviews. At a time when few women owned or drove cars, taking the wheel was a powerful symbolic act. But when he, his mechanic, Sewall Crocker, and American bulldog Bud arrived in New York, a new era in American transportation had begun. An article in the. Here they prepare to light the acetylene gas headlamps. I am tired & got to get up early in the morning & damn anxious to get you in my arms. "Horacio was the big guy on the road with a brand new car. On June 6, the car broke down, and they had to be towed to a nearby ranch by a cowboy on horseback. On June 16, somewhere in Idaho, Jackson's coat, containing most of the travelers' money, fell off and was not found. "HORATIO CAM" DIGITAL FOOTAGE Allen Moore ASSOCIATE PRODUCER Susanna Steisel COORDINATING PRODUCER Pam Tubridy Baucom FIELD PRODUCER Craig Mellish NARRATED BY Keith David THE VOICE OF HORATIO. Long-distance road trips and other publicity stunts helped establish the automobile in Americans consciousness long before cars became commonplace. Marker is on Soda Point Power Plant Road near Reservoir Road, on the right when traveling south. H. Nelson Jackson (Vermont physician) In the spring of 1903, at a time when many people thought that the automotive industry had no future and that cars were merely an invention aimed at fun, Jackson accepted a $50 bet to prove that it was possible to drive a car from San Francisco to New York City. Proper roads were so few and far between at this point, that there were no maps. 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! 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. 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. Broke down again, Jackson rented a bicycle from a nearby rancher, rode the 25 miles back to town, suffered his own flat tire, and eventually returned with the fuel. Jackson, who was 31 in 1903, was undaunted by these conspicuous failures. Horatio's letter to Bertha | May 31, 1903 . Dr. H. Nelson Jackson and Sewall K. Crocker (and Bud!) 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. At their next stop, Jackson had to wire his wife to send them money to Cheyenne, Wyoming. As Burke and Richardson drove around the country, overcoming the challenges of rough roads and mechanical breakdowns, they showed that women could be at home in the masculine domain of machines. At one point he was ticketed for exceeding the 6mph (9.7km/h) speed limit in Burlington. I shall think of you a good deal tomorrow, as I always do. [10] Their trip expended over 800 US gallons (3,000L) of gasoline. Driving an automobile from coast to coast in 1903 was a difficult and daring achievement. As luck would have it, the movie was available on Amazon prime for just a few more days so I immediately added it to the top of my list. We shall try & get away tonight. a tow. Later, somewhere in Idaho, they lost Jacksons coat which contained most of the travelers money. Jackson's bold adventure in a horseless carriage in many ways created the America we live in today, filled with a network of highways, thousands of motels, fast-food joints at every intersection and SUVs. and their dog Bud made the first successful transcontinental automobile trip. A series of American university professors of history provided background information. (You can see a few clips on the PBS website.) He bought a slightly used, two-cylinder,[4] 20hp[5] Winton, which he named the Vermont, after his home state, bade his wife goodbye, and left San Francisco on May 23, carrying coats, rubber protective suits, sleeping bags, blankets, canteens, a water bag, an axe, a shovel, a telescope, tools, spare parts, a block and tackle, cans for extra gasoline and oil, a Kodak camera, a rifle, a shotgun, and pistols.[6].