The Vermont is a name given to a 1903 Winton that became the first automobile to cross the United States. It traveled from San Francisco, California to Manhattan, New York. The crew was owner Horatio Nelson Jackson, mechanic Sewall K. Crocker and their dog Bud. The trip started in San Francisco on May 23, 1903 and ended in New York City on July 26, 1903. The length of the trip was 64 days. The car was a 20-horsepower, two-cylinder Winton with a slightly used engine. At the time, there were only 150 miles of paved roads in the country, and most people doubted the automobile’s future. The trip included climbing mountains, crossing creeks, and driving through sagebrush. The car needed frequent repairs, including fixing the carburetor, air intake pipe, oil pipes, clutch, and batteries. The car got stuck 17 times in one day, and the men had to use a block and tackle to drag it out. The car is now in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History.
ConversationHour9279 on
I think there is a pbs documentary on this, Horacio’s Drive
2 Comments
The Vermont is a name given to a 1903 Winton that became the first automobile to cross the United States. It traveled from San Francisco, California to Manhattan, New York. The crew was owner Horatio Nelson Jackson, mechanic Sewall K. Crocker and their dog Bud. The trip started in San Francisco on May 23, 1903 and ended in New York City on July 26, 1903. The length of the trip was 64 days. The car was a 20-horsepower, two-cylinder Winton with a slightly used engine. At the time, there were only 150 miles of paved roads in the country, and most people doubted the automobile’s future. The trip included climbing mountains, crossing creeks, and driving through sagebrush. The car needed frequent repairs, including fixing the carburetor, air intake pipe, oil pipes, clutch, and batteries. The car got stuck 17 times in one day, and the men had to use a block and tackle to drag it out. The car is now in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History.
I think there is a pbs documentary on this, Horacio’s Drive