In 1903 Horatio Nelson Jackson and a companion completed the first automobile trip across the U.S. Despite numerous 
problems, they managed to finish their adventure in a little over two months.
Horatio Nelson Jackson
Vermont physician Horatio Nelson Jackson
Horatio Nelson Jackson (1872-1955) was born in Toronto, Canada. After graduating from schools in Toronto, he then received his medical degree from the University of Vermont in 1893, married Bertha Wells in 1899, and settled in Burlington, Vt.
Bertha (Wells Jackson, Horatio Nelson with Jackson’s brother Hollister (who served as Vermont’s lieutenant governor), and Mary Ann Parkyn Jackson.
While enjoying drinks with his wife at the University Club in San Franciso on May 18, 1903, he debated with a group of men about whether early automobiles would be a temporary or lasting mode of transportation. Soon, he consented to a $50 bet that he could drive from San Francisco to New York City in no more than 90 days.
He realized that he faced several difficult challenges. The only available maps had no route numbers and mainly served the interests of local bicyclists. Outside cities, roads would be mostly unpaved and covered with rocks and other debris. Thus, there would be no gas stations, repair shops, restaurants, motels, grocery stores or supply outlets available. Most importantly, weather conditions and unfavorable occurrences were unpredictable.
Sewall Jackson at the wheel with Horatio Nelson Jackson
After his wife departed for Burlington, Jackson hired Sewall K. (“Jack”) Crocker (1883-1913) , a bicycle racer from Tacoma, Wash., to serve as his companion, shared driver and mechanic. Jackson then purchased a little-used, two-cylinder, 20- horsepower open touring car with no windshield, made by the Winton Motor Carriage Company of Cleveland, Ohio. Following the removal of the backseat, Jackson and Crocker loaded the vehicle with fishing gear, pots and pans, tools, gas and water containers, sleeping bags, blankets, a block and tackle, a Kodak camera, an ax, some spare parts and firearms. On May 23, 1903, they left San Francisco in their crammed automobile, now named “Vermont”, and headed north to the Sacramento Valley to avoid the Sierra Nevada mountains.
On the Road
Driving toward the Sacramento Valley, a tire blew out about 15 miles into the trip. This required them to use the only spare tire they had. On occasion, they had to rely on used inner tubes or rope wound around the wheels before receiving replacement tires. Leaving the Sacramento Valley, they managed to lose their cooking pots and utensils. Heading toward Oregon, the block and tackle proved useful in fording streams. Entering Oregon on June 6, their car broke down, forcing Crocker to make repairs. Over the next three days, the car also ran out of gasoline and motor oil. After replenishing these necessities, they reached Idaho where Jackson bought a bulldog, Bud, for $15.
Bud
On June 16, Jackson lost most of his money when his coat fell out of the car while still traveling in Idaho. He then wired his wife to send to Cheynne, Wyo., the needed funds. Unfortunately, the car experienced a loss of its wheel bearings near Cheyenne, but a farmer agreed to replace them from his mower. After all these setbacks, they still managed to reach Omaha, Neb., on July 12. Thereafter, the trip continued without major problems as they drove through Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and into western New York. Finally, on July 26 they arrived in New York City after a journey that lasted 63 days, 12 hours and 30 minutes. They estimated the car had used at least 800 gallons of gasoline.
Home Again
Although Jackson won the bet, he never collected it. Even if he had, it would have been a pittance relative to his estimated $8,000 in total expenses.
Col. H. Nelson Jackson
After the completed adventure, Jackson returned to Burlington with his dog Bud. He enjoyed a successful business career, became a captain in the Medical Corp in World War I, founded the American Legion Department of Vermont, owned the Burlington Daily News and operated a radio station. Jackson died on January 14, 1955 in Burlington and was buried there.
Sadly, Crocker could not capitalize on his acquired celebrity. He died in 1913 in Tacoma from failing health, only 30 years old.
Exhibit at the National Museum of American History recreating H. Nelson Jackson’s first successful North American transcontinental automobile trip in a 1903 Winton touring car, the Vermont
Edward T. Howe, Ph.D., is Professor of Economics, Emeritus, at Siena College near Albany, N.Y.
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New from the New England Historical Society. Click here to order your copy today.
Exhibit: By Mariordo (Mario Roberto Duran Ortiz) – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18092129
