How Long Did First Cross Country Road Trip Take?

By Anna Duncan

Have you ever wondered how long it took for the first cross country road trip in history? The answer may surprise you.

In 1903, Horatio Nelson Jackson and Sewall K. Crocker set out on a journey from San Francisco to New York City in an automobile. At the time, automobiles were still a relatively new invention, and there were very few paved roads. Most of the journey was made on unpaved dirt roads or even through fields and across streams.

The trip began on May 23, 1903, when Jackson and Crocker left San Francisco in a 20-horsepower Winton touring car. They had intended to make the trip in just 90 days, but it ended up taking them much longer than that.

The first leg of the journey took them from San Francisco to Salt Lake City, which they reached after 12 days of driving. From there, they continued on through Colorado and Nebraska before finally arriving in Chicago on July 26th – exactly two months after they started their journey.

But their troubles were far from over. The automobile broke down several times along the way, and at one point they even had to hire a blacksmith to help repair it. They also encountered numerous obstacles such as steep hills and rough terrain that slowed their progress considerably.

Despite these setbacks, Jackson and Crocker persevered and eventually made it to New York City on July 26th – just over two months after they started their journey. Along the way, they had become national celebrities – not only for making the first cross-country road trip but also for demonstrating the potential of automobiles as a means of transportation.

Their journey had taken them a total of 63 days – far longer than their original estimate of just 90 days. But despite the difficulties they faced along the way, Jackson and Crocker had accomplished something truly remarkable – paving the way for future generations of road travelers.

In conclusion, the first cross-country road trip in history took 63 days to complete. It was a challenging journey that tested the limits of both man and machine, but it ultimately proved to be a turning point in American history – paving the way for the development of modern highways and the automobile industry as we know it today.