The First Road Trip
Horatio’s Drive
On a $50 bet, Horatio Nelson Jackson, a 31 year old Vermont doctor, embarked on the road trip to begin all American road trips. In 1903 there was only 150 miles of paved roads in the entire nation and most people had never seen a “horseless buggy”, but that only fueled Horatio’s deep thirst for adventure and in his 20 horsepower 1903 Winton, he left San Francisco and headed East to New York City.
Horatio’s Drive was the third known attempt to cross the country via automobile. None of the previous had made it very far before mechanical problems ended their attempts. To aid in his travels, Horatio hired Sewall K. Crocker, a 22 year old former professional bicycle racer from Tacoma, Washington, who was working in California as a mechanic.
And they made it, ending in New York City on July 26, 1903, traveling 63 days 12 hours and 30 minutes from San Francisco.
A Man With Guts
In a car he bought used, lacking any corporate backing, little publicity, knowing nothing about the mechanics of automobiles, and with little planning; Horatio Nelson Jackson left San Francisco for New York. The story of how Horatio and Crocker persevered across the 5,000 miles of dirt roads, muddy trails, sand dunes and just plain emptiness is awe-inspiring for any road traveler.
I first became aware of this unbelievable feat about a year ago when I read the book “Horatio’s Drive” written by Dayton Duncan and Ken Burns which is based on their PBS documentary film of the same name. Then this past weekend, I made the pilgrimage to the Smithsonian American History Museum to see the car for myself.
Memorializing their journey at the Smithsonian American History Museum, the very 1903 Winton they drove is on display.
Standing there looking at the display showing how they would use a rope block and tackle to pull the car through the mud, I began to reflect on how we prepare our vehicles for trips today.
No electric winch mounted on their fancy 4X4.
Today in the off-roading community, exploration type of travel or Overlanding as it is often called is quickly gaining popularity over the overly built rock crawling machines that has dominated the 4×4 world. Roof racks carrying shovels, hi-lift jacks, Jerry cans filled with fuel and water and even roof top tents, mounted on top of highly modified 4X4 trucks and SUVs with banks of extra batteries to support the palifera of navigational electronics and endless other “necessities” seemly ready for a six month trek across Africa can be found parked at your local mall.
It makes one wonder how did Horatio do it without all of that stuff. He did it with an adventurous spirit. One we could all look to for inspiration. Instead of spending all of our time and money building the perfect rig capable of crossing the Serengeti, maybe we should just toss the tent in the back of the car, fill the fuel tank and go have some fun.
