Check out Professional and Advanced Portraiture section of our forum.
The Coast-to-Coast American Road Trip Is 120 Years Old by Frank Jacobs
Jun 1, 2023 17:36:13 #
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/first-cross-country-road-trip-ever?
"In 1903, a Vermont doctor bet $50 that he could cross America by car. It took him 63 days, $8,000, and 600 gallons of gas. "
The coast-to-coast road trip, that American essential, turns 120 this year. In 1903, Horatio Jackson and Sewall Crocker became the first people ever to drive a car from one side of the United States all the way to the other.
Jackson (at the wheel) and Crocker arrive in Omaha, Nebraska, about halfway on the very first drive across the country. ISC Images & Archives via Getty Images
"In 1903, a Vermont doctor bet $50 that he could cross America by car. It took him 63 days, $8,000, and 600 gallons of gas. "
The coast-to-coast road trip, that American essential, turns 120 this year. In 1903, Horatio Jackson and Sewall Crocker became the first people ever to drive a car from one side of the United States all the way to the other.
Jackson (at the wheel) and Crocker arrive in Omaha, Nebraska, about halfway on the very first drive across the country. ISC Images & Archives via Getty Images
Jun 1, 2023 20:18:09 #
Jun 1, 2023 20:19:11 #
Check out Commercial and Industrial Photography section of our forum.
Jun 2, 2023 05:40:17 #
Jun 2, 2023 07:23:12 #
There is a Ken Buen’s documentary, Horatio’s Drive, that is worth watching. Jackson never went back to collect the $50. Olds had a team trying to beat him but it failed.
Jun 2, 2023 08:21:02 #
TonyF
Loc: Bradenton, FL
They must have been living high on the hog--that seems a like lot of money for 1903. $126 a day when rooms and food could be gotten for under $10 a day.
Jun 2, 2023 11:57:12 #
Check out Professional and Advanced Portraiture section of our forum.
Jun 2, 2023 11:57:34 #
cdayton wrote:
There is a Ken Buen’s documentary, Horatio’s Drive, that is worth watching. Jackson never went back to collect the $50. Olds had a team trying to beat him but it failed.
Jun 2, 2023 11:57:54 #
TonyF wrote:
They must have been living high on the hog--that seems a like lot of money for 1903. $126 a day when rooms and food could be gotten for under $10 a day.
Jun 2, 2023 12:29:09 #
cdayton wrote:
There is a Ken Buen’s documentary, Horatio’s Drive, that is worth watching. Jackson never went back to collect the $50. Olds had a team trying to beat him but it failed.
It was mostly spent on repairs to the car. Some parts were shipped from the factory in Ohio. They tended to follow train tracks so they ordered by telegraph and parts were delivered by train. As I remember, they rebuilt the engine twice. The second driver with Jackson was a mechanic. Jackson himself was a doctor.
Jun 2, 2023 13:03:14 #
bcheary wrote:
From the looks of the car (and drivers) I think all the highways back then were not pristine smooth asphalt.
Jun 2, 2023 14:05:18 #
Bridges wrote:
From the looks of the car (and drivers) I think all the highways back then were not pristine smooth asphalt.
You would win your bet! Jun 2, 2023 17:53:56 #
The first big road trip I drove was from Boston (home) to LA up to Canada and back to Boston via Canada. We saw so much because my dad planned all kinds of places to visit. Great time.
Many times, I've recommended taking the trip we had because you could see so many important places. I've been back to many of those places because the memories were so good.
Many times, I've recommended taking the trip we had because you could see so many important places. I've been back to many of those places because the memories were so good.
Jun 2, 2023 17:57:38 #
Flyerace wrote:
The first big road trip I drove was from Boston (home) to LA up to Canada and back to Boston via Canada. We saw so much because my dad planned all kinds of places to visit. Great time.
Many times, I've recommended taking the trip we had because you could see so many important places. I've been back to many of those places because the memories were so good.
Many times, I've recommended taking the trip we had because you could see so many important places. I've been back to many of those places because the memories were so good.
Jun 2, 2023 19:24:51 #
My family took a cross country trip in 1951. Philadelphia to California and back. I don't have numbers for the cost or duration since I wasn't paying for it and I didn't drive yet. I know this was taken by me because I'm not in the picture.
I took a cross country trip in 1961. Philadelphia to Seattle and LA and back. Cost probably around $400. Probably about 6 weeks. I did a mileage test in the old car. I would drive at an average speed of 45mph for 3 fillups keeping track of the gas and distance. Then I would drive at 55mph. Then I would drive at 65mph. I don't recall the numbers other than that 45mph was the best speed for economy. I avoided interstates because the speed limits were too high. The car required no repairs on the trip.
I took a cross country trip with my wife in 1966. NJ to Alaska, Seattle, LA, then on to Pittsburgh. Cost about $450. 6 weeks. Came back with around 450 slides from the Exakta. We took the Trans-Canada highway on the way out. On my first trip I went through Kansas and thought it was flat. On this trip I found that Kansas is rolling hills. Manitoba/Saskachewan are FLAT. The only thing broken on the car was a butterfly window broken on the Alaskan highway, which was gravel all the way through Canada except about 30 miles around Whitehorse.
Drove Pittsburgh to Denver and back 3-4 times in the 60's and 70's.
I enjoy driving open roads. Hate driving in traffic. I try to avoid big cities because the highways have a lot of turns and intersections to keep track of and nobody cuts you any slack even if you have out of state plates. Right exits. Left exits. Spaghetti intersections. Really a problem if you're trying to use a map, and even the modern GPS units are sometimes enough behind in their warnings of something coming up that you don't have time to react.
I took a cross country trip in 1961. Philadelphia to Seattle and LA and back. Cost probably around $400. Probably about 6 weeks. I did a mileage test in the old car. I would drive at an average speed of 45mph for 3 fillups keeping track of the gas and distance. Then I would drive at 55mph. Then I would drive at 65mph. I don't recall the numbers other than that 45mph was the best speed for economy. I avoided interstates because the speed limits were too high. The car required no repairs on the trip.
I took a cross country trip with my wife in 1966. NJ to Alaska, Seattle, LA, then on to Pittsburgh. Cost about $450. 6 weeks. Came back with around 450 slides from the Exakta. We took the Trans-Canada highway on the way out. On my first trip I went through Kansas and thought it was flat. On this trip I found that Kansas is rolling hills. Manitoba/Saskachewan are FLAT. The only thing broken on the car was a butterfly window broken on the Alaskan highway, which was gravel all the way through Canada except about 30 miles around Whitehorse.
Drove Pittsburgh to Denver and back 3-4 times in the 60's and 70's.
I enjoy driving open roads. Hate driving in traffic. I try to avoid big cities because the highways have a lot of turns and intersections to keep track of and nobody cuts you any slack even if you have out of state plates. Right exits. Left exits. Spaghetti intersections. Really a problem if you're trying to use a map, and even the modern GPS units are sometimes enough behind in their warnings of something coming up that you don't have time to react.
If you want to reply, then register here. Registration is free and your account is created instantly, so you can post right away.
Check out Infrared Photography section of our forum.