Download PDF

THE FIRST WOMAN INDUCTed into the Automotive Hall of Fame didn't design a V8 or pioneer a manufacturing process; in fact, Alice Ramsey never drove a car until she was challenged by Maxwell Motor Co. to drive one across the country in the early 1900s.

Only two dozen cross-country trips had been completed at this time, all by men. Horatio Nelson Jackson was the first to complete the epic journey in 1903 after a $50 bet motivated him to leave San Francisco in a 20-hp Winton Touring. Despite only 150 miles of paved road, Jackson arrived in New York 63 days later.

On June 9, 1909, Ramsey, a 22-year-old housewife, set out from New York for San Francisco with three women friends-none of whom drove-in an effort to convince women driving wasn't just for men.

On a daily basis Ramsey and crew encountered challenges few modem motorists have to confront. "In Utah we hit a prairie dog hole in the road with such force that a tie bolt came out of the tie rod connecting the front wheels. Down went the front end, wheels spread-eagled, breaking the spring seat over the front axle," Ramsey wrote.

A picture of the crippled Maxwell is the inspiration behind this new exhibit at the Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Comers, Michigan. The life-size diorama re-creates one of the numerous obstacles Ramsey faced, and honors the courage and determination that allowed her crew to complete the 3800- mile journey in 59 days.

The Gilmore Museum is open through the end of October.

-BRANDON DYE > www.gilmorecarmuseum.org