Burlington doctor H. Nelson Jackson got into his Winton automobile in San Francisco on this day in 1903. He was headed across the country and it had never been done by car before.

Jackson, his chaffeur and a dog all piled into the cargo-laden Winton and set out on this day, only four days after making a bet with a friend that he could do it.

Roads were either non-existant or in poor condition. Vehicles often broke down. Despite all the obstacles, Dr. Jackson and his entourage pulled into New York City a little more than two months later, becoming the first party ever to cross the continental United States by car.

Image courtesy the Vermont Historical Society.