Alice Ramsey’s cross-country trip was an ‘automotive marvel’

Dubbed the “First Lady of Automotive Travel,” Alice Huyler Ramsey of Hackensack, N.J., was 22 years old when she made history in 1909 as the first woman to drive a motor car across the United States. 

The adventure was sponsored by the Maxwell-Briscoe Company, one of the leading automakers at the time. 

Writing for Smithsonian magazine, Marina Koestler Ruben said the journey began from New York City on June 9, 1909, with Ramsey turning the crank on the “dark-green, four-cylinder, 30-horsepower 1909 Maxwell DA, a touring car with two bench seats and a removable Pantasote roof.”

To accompany her on the trip, Ramsey took along “Nettie Powell and Margaret Atwood, her sisters-in-law, both in their 40s, and Hermine Jahns, an enthusiastic 16-year-old friend,” Ruben said. “Ramsey and her three passengers had to learn the basics of car safety, wear hats and goggles, and cover their long dresses with dusters to protect themselves from dirt and grime.” 

Their trek to San Francisco took 59 days to complete and covered 3,800 miles, with only 152 of those miles taking place on paved roads. On one stretch of highway at Cleveland, Ohio, Ramsey set her personal best – attaining top speed of 42 miles per hour.

 

“Though the Maxwell-Briscoe Company would publish an ad upon arrival stating that the group traveled ‘without a particle of car trouble,’ this was far from reality,” Ruben said. 

“For navigation, Ramsey relied on the Automobile Blue Book series of travel guides, which gave directions using landmarks,” Ruben said. “But sometimes the route changed faster than the books. The women struggled to find a ‘yellow house and barn’ at which they were supposed to turn left; a horse-loyal farmer had deliberately foiled drivers by repainting in green.” 

There were no books for regions west of the Mississippi River. Ramsey followed “the telegraph poles with the greatest number of wires.” 

Rainy weather in Iowa posed particular challenges with potholed, muddy roads that were nearly impassable. “It was slow-moving and, in one case, no-moving: the women slept beside an overflowed creek until the water receded enough that they could ford it,” Ruben wrote. 

“They persevered through the region, taking 13 days to conquer 360 miles (and relying on horses for towing at times!).” 

In all, the female “pit crew” had to replace 11 tires, repair two broken axles and a broken brake pedal as well as clean spark plugs all along the way to keep the Maxwell running. Newspapers hailed the Maxwell for its dependability and durability.

 

One male journalist couldn’t resist, stating “Ramsey showed the world that a Maxwell could take anyone (even a woman driver) all the way across America.” 

After their brief bout with fame, the four women returned to New Jersey by train, Ruben noted. Ramsey continued to make cross-country drives, “losing count after her 30th.” 

In 1961, Ramsey published “Veil, Duster and Tire Iron,” telling the story of the famous cross-country trip in her own words. Their entrance into San Francisco was “scheduled” by the Maxwell marketers to occur on Aug. 7, 1909, requiring Ramsey’s team to lay over on the evening of Aug. 6 in Hayward, Calif., about 30 miles shy of their destination. Here, they were served “a perilous snack of hot tamales and cheese omelets!” 

Alice Huyler Ramsey died in 1983, at age 96. She was the first woman inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 2000. Only five other females were enshrined during the next 20 years.