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Posted inAsk Prof. History, Weapons & Gear Manual

Was a mountain howitzer the first wheeled vehicle to cross America?

by mandykinne9/6/20124/13/2016
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Dear Mr. History,

I have heard the first wheeled vehicle to cross North America was an early model of mountain howitzer, but been unable to find a reference to support this claim. Can you find support for this claim and, if so, what model of mountain howitzer was it?

Thanks,

v/r
Henry B. Davis IV
MAJ, FA
U.S. Army

? ? ?

Dear Major Davis,

I’m not sure of what you mean by “wheeled vehicle.” A Conestoga wagon? A railroad train? A bicycle? As far as I know the first wheeled, motorized vehicle to traverse the United States from west to east was a Winton driven by Horatio Jackson, leaving San Francisco on May 23, 1903, and reaching New York on July 26—thus winning a 50 dollar bet as to whether a motorcar could manage the feat in less than three months.

Sincerely,

 

Jon Guttman
Research Director
World History Group
More Questions at Ask Mr. History

 

 

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by mandykinne

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Citation information

mandykinne (6/15/2025) Was a mountain howitzer the first wheeled vehicle to cross America?. HistoryNet Retrieved from https://www.historynet.com/was-a-mountain-howitzer-the-first-wheeled-vehicle-to-cross-america/.
"Was a mountain howitzer the first wheeled vehicle to cross America?."mandykinne - 6/15/2025, https://www.historynet.com/was-a-mountain-howitzer-the-first-wheeled-vehicle-to-cross-america/
mandykinne 9/6/2012 Was a mountain howitzer the first wheeled vehicle to cross America?., viewed 6/15/2025,<https://www.historynet.com/was-a-mountain-howitzer-the-first-wheeled-vehicle-to-cross-america/>
mandykinne - Was a mountain howitzer the first wheeled vehicle to cross America?. [Internet]. [Accessed 6/15/2025]. Available from: https://www.historynet.com/was-a-mountain-howitzer-the-first-wheeled-vehicle-to-cross-america/
mandykinne. "Was a mountain howitzer the first wheeled vehicle to cross America?." mandykinne - Accessed 6/15/2025. https://www.historynet.com/was-a-mountain-howitzer-the-first-wheeled-vehicle-to-cross-america/
"Was a mountain howitzer the first wheeled vehicle to cross America?." mandykinne [Online]. Available: https://www.historynet.com/was-a-mountain-howitzer-the-first-wheeled-vehicle-to-cross-america/. [Accessed: 6/15/2025]

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