On 26 July 1903, Vermont physician and automobile enthusiast DR. HORATIO NELSON JACKSON, his mechanic SEWALL CROCKER, and his dog BUD completed the FIRST AUTOMOBILE TRIP ACROSS THE UNITED STATES. While visiting San Francisco in May 1903, the 31-year-old doctor accepted a $50 wager to prove that an automobile could be driven across the country. Previous attempts do drive across the continent had all ended in failure - although, unbeknownst to the doctor, a couple of people back East were preparing their cars for just such an attempt. JACKSON purchased a 20hp, two-cylinder, slightly-used Winton car, which he named Vermont after his home state, and he and CROCKER set out from San Francisco on 23 May. Their equipment consisted of rubber rain 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 two pistols. Essentially following the old Oregon Trail, they used the block and tackle to haul the car across streams and over obstacles they might encounter. In 1903, only 150 miles of paved roads existed in the United States, and there were no maps, no road signs, and no gas stations - gasoline for the Vermont had to be purchased at pharmacies, where it was sold in tins as a cleaning agent at around $1 a gallon (around $30 today). In Caldwell, Idaho, they rescued BUD, a pit bull that Jackson fitted out with a pair of goggles and who accompanied them the rest of the way. After passing Omaha, Nebraska, their journey became much easier as they were able to use existing roads. Arriving in New York City after their 63-day journey, they found out that George Wyman had completed the first motorcycle ride across the continent just 20 days earlier, but that they had made the FIRST AUTOMOBILE TRANSCONTINENTAL DRIVE. JACKSON (1872-1955) and BUD settled in Burlington, Vermont. JACKSON served with distinction in the Medical Corps during WWI; wounded at the Battle of Montfaucon during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, his awards included the Distinguished Service Cross, Purple Heart, Croix de Guerre (France), and Frances Legion of Honour. After the war, he was one of the founding members of the American Legion. In 1944, he donated the Vermont to the Smithsonian Museum, where today it is on display at the Museum of American History. CROCKER (1881-1913) toured Europe for two years and took part in the Mexican Revolution before moving back to his hometown of Tacoma, Washington. And BUD apparently lived a full dogs life after the trip, content to guard his master and his wife Bertha at their Vermont home and going on the occasional automobile jaunt.
Posted on: Sat, 26 Jul 2014 10:34:27 +0000
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