Coast to Coast in Sixty-three Days

By Mark Bowser

In 1903, Horatio Nelson Jackson was visiting the University Club of San Francisco. While he was there, someone wagered fifty dollars that it would be impossible to drive a horseless carriage, or automobile, from San Francisco to New York in less than ninety days.

Horatio immediately excepted the bet. Now, he had to figure out how to do it. Let’s take a look for a moment at the challenges that Horatio had in front of him.

• At that time, the United States only had about 150 miles of paved roads in the entire country. And, most of them were in the cities.

• It had never been done before.

• Horatio didn’t know that much about the mechanics of cars.

• And to top it off, he didn’t even own a car.

So as you can see, Horatio may have bit off a little more than he could chew. Or, did he?

The first item on the to do list was to get a car. So, he purchased a used, very small twenty horsepower car and commissioned it into his service as theVermont in honor of his home state.

The next challenge on the list was to overcome not being very mechanically minded. That is where Sewall Crocker comes into the story. Horatio hired this talented mechanic to go on the adventure with him.

Horatio and Sewall loaded up the Vermont with supplies and on May 23, 1903, they disembarked on their journey. Waving goodbye to San Francisco and an anticipated hello for the Big Apple.

Saying this coast to coast journey was hard would be an understatement. What roads there were weren’t more than a couple of worn patches on the ground. Horatio and Sewall got stuck in mud more times than Pinocchio told lies. They blew tires, broke springs, and had more sounds coming from the engine block that would have even made A.J. Foyt nervous. But, they kept the car together and continued to forge forth towards New York. At one point, they received bad directions and got lost hundreds of miles off course. But not even that could keep them discouraged.

In Idaho they took on another passenger. His name was Bud and he was a bulldog. They fitted the dog with driving goggles and the journey continued. On July 26, our trio sped into New York City. Despite all the setbacks, they had completed the journey in only sixty-three days.

So, the next time you go on a road trip, think about Horatio, Sewall, and Bud. Because without them, your adventure wouldn’t be possible. Who’s ready to hit the road?

ANNOUNCING! A New Podcast Gaining Attention — Let Me Tell You A Story with Mark Bowser

Stories are everywhere! We all love them! We love them in books, at the movies, and in our favorite podcasts. But, what if a story could be — more? What if a story could change your life in a substantial, positive way? What if a story could take you to the pinnacles of success and show you how to scale life’s mountains too?

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