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Winton Touring Car, 1903

National Museum of American History

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Object Details

contributor
Firestone, Jr., Harvey S.
Crocker, Sewall K.
Winton Engine Company
Description
At the dawn of the twentieth century, many people believed that the automobile offered great potential as a practical means of transportation. Once expensive toys, automobiles were becoming faster and more powerful, but several obstacles hindered their widespread use. One of the most visible barriers was the extreme difficulty of driving long distances, particularly in the West with its rugged terrain and lack of improved roads. After two attempts by other motorists, H. Nelson Jackson, a physician from Burlington, Vermont, broke the cross-country barrier through sheer determination and perseverance. In the spring and summer of 1903, Jackson and his mechanic, Sewall Crocker, drove this 1903 Winton touring car from San Francisco to New York City. The trip took 64 days, including numerous delays while the two men waited for parts or paused to hoist the Winton up and over a gully. Their achievement changed the way Americans thought about long-distance automobile travel. It now seemed possible -- even desirable -- to move about the country in cars instead of trains. The pioneering 1903 trip inspired two rival teams of motorists, turning the much-publicized journey into a race. Within ten years there were plans for a coast-to-coast highway. By the late 1910s and early 1920s, hordes of vacationing autocampers with touring cars and tents ushered in the era of transcontinental motoring.
Credit Line
Gift of Col. H. Nelson Jackson
1903
ID Number
TR.312831.01
catalog number
312831
accession number
167685
Object Name
automobile
Other Terms
Road
associated place
United States: California
United States: Idaho
United States: New York
See more items in
Work and Industry: Transportation, Road
America on the Move
Automobiles
Transportation
Road Transportation
Exhibition
America On The Move
Exhibition Location
National Museum of American History
National Museum of American History
Record ID
nmah_843068
Usage of Metadata (Object Detail Text)
CC0
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a6-8073-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

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