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On the evening of May 19, 1903, in San Francisco’s exclusive University Club, a debate raged over the reliability of the new horseless carriage. Horatio Nelson Jackson, a 31-year-old retired doctor from Vermont who was passing through San Francisco, accepted a wager. Under the terms of the bet, Jackson would win 50 dollars if he motored all the way to New York City, something no one else had done, in less than three months.
Four days later, Dr. Jackson and a 22 year-old bicycle repairman, Sewall K. Crocker, set off from San Francisco in a 1903 Winton Touring Car. Along the way they picked up the third member of the team, a bulldog named Bud.
“Horatio’s Drive: America’s First Road Trip,” a new film by Ken Burns, follows Dr. Horatio Nelson Jackson on his adventurous and often hilarious drive from San Francisco to New York City in 1903.
“It’s just a fascinating and entertaining story about the most American of activities,” Ken Burns explained. “It’s something that we can all identify with because we all have stories about the road. And like all road trips that followed, Horatio’s had its share of breakdowns and flat tires, wrong turns and bad weather. Throughout it all, however, Horatio’s indomitable spirit and sheer enthusiasm were as indispensable as the fuel for his car.”
The vehicle was a cherry red, 1903 Winton tour car, already more than a month old and with over 1,000 miles on it. Nonetheless, Jackson paid $3,000 for the car, $500 more than the list price. The Winton had a two-cylinder, 20-horsepower engine underneath the driver’s seat, with a chain drive, capable of speeds up to 30 miles per hour. The steering wheel was on the right and there was no top or windshield. Jackson removed the back seat to make room for the piles of equipment he purchased for the journey, including a block and tackle with 150 feet of hemp rope, a shotgun, rifle, pistols, ammunition — and a small Kodak camera to record his trip. He named the vehicle Vermont, in honor of his home state.
Jackson’s first day out brought immediate problems. And the trip continued with nearly daily difficulties. At one point, the Vermont had to be towed by a cowboy on horseback. Partway through his improbable journey, Jackson learned that his spur-of-the-moment trip had turned into something of a race. First the Packard company and then the Oldsmobile company dispatched their own autos from California hoping to pass him and gain the publicity of being the first to cross the nation.
As he worked his way across the country, more and more people were drawn to the vehicle. In small towns, hundreds would line up to see the horseless carriage. Even in larger cities, as word spread of this cross-country trip, thousands would line up to meet Jackson, Crocker and Bud.
At 4:30 in the morning on Sunday, July 26, Jackson and his traveling partners crossed the Harlem River into Manhattan. Jackson had made it from San Francisco in 63 days, 12 hours and 30 minutes — well within his wager of 90 days. A few weeks later, on August 7, he arrived home. As he drove the Vermont into the stable, the drive chain snapped in two. He never collected his 50 dollars.
“Horatio’s Drive” captures the nation at a moment of change. In 1900 there were only 8,000 cars in America compared to 14 million horses. Most Americans rarely traveled more than 12 miles from home. And there were only 150 miles of paved roads, most of them in large cities.
“Horatio’s Drive” is narrated by Keith David with Tom Hanks as the voice of Horatio Nelson Jackson. Other third person voices are provided by Adam Arkin, Tom Bodett, Philip Bosco, Kevin Conway, John Cullum, Murphy Guyer, Amy Madigan, George Plimpton and Eli Wallach.
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