Ford’s Auto Domination Came From a 1909 Race Across America Through Mud-Choked Roads

History Unplugged Podcast · Jun 2, 2026 · 53m

In June 1909, five automobiles lined up in front of New York's City Hall to attempt something no car had ever done: drive all the way to Seattle. The Ocean-to-Ocean Race was supposed to be a publicity stunt for the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition, but it became something far more consequential, a 4,100-mile brawl through gumbo mud, quicksand, flooded rivers, and snow-choked mountain passes that would help launch the Model T, expose the wretched state of America's roads, and change the trajectory of the automobile industry forever. Henry Ford entered two stripped-down Model Ts priced at $850…