Fun with Maps ISSUE 2025-093

By Steve Kovacs (Introduction by Chuck Gibson)

LOVELAND, OH (May 23, 2025) – In today’s edition of Fun with Maps, we mark the start of a road trip across the USA, but not in a Chevrolet.      

The Long and Winding Road

The first cross-continental trip in an automobile left San Francisco on May 23, 1903 and arrived in New York City on July 26.  This was of course before modern roads.

Horatio Jackson and his mechanic made the journey.

Horatio did this upon agreeing to a $50 wager that a four-wheel car can be driven across the US.  He did not own a car, had limited driving experience and didn’t use a map.  He hired his mechanic just before setting off from San Francisco.

He purchased a slightly used 2-cylinder, 20 horsepower Winton car for the trip.  On a side note, Winton eventually focused on building diesel engines and was later acquired by General Motors.

Horatio was a man of many talents – he was a physician, a businessman and a key figure in founding the American Legion.

Born in Toronto, Canada, Horatio moved to the US in his teens.

Here is Ruth White’s pictorial map of the US from 1938.

Steve Kovacs and his wife Theresa reside in Loveland, Ohio where they raised their two children. He is a passionate collector of antique maps.

Visit his antique map boutique world-on-paper online. Watch for his daily feature Steve Kovacs: Fun with Maps here on Loveland Beacon.