August 2023 By: Bennett Kubischta
Mid-Summer greetings to all. I am Bennett Kubischta, the President of the Old Red Old Ten Scenic Byway and this story renews Old Red Old Ten stories that were written by Delores Klusman prior to her death in 2019.
In 1912, as automobile travel was becoming prevalent, the American Automobile Association hired Anton Westgard to map transcontinental routes across the United States. On June 11th, Westgard leaves New York City beginning his pathfinding tour. His plan was to make three cross country trips that summer and fall. The first route, which he called the Northwest Trail, went across the northern states to Seattle. With him on this journey was his wife and a driver.
From Seattle he went south to San Francisco, then east back to New York and then west again arriving in Los Angeles on November 25th. He traveled 12,768 miles in his Pathfinder 40 automobile and averaged 76 miles per day. The Pathfinder averaged 13.5 miles per gallon and used one gallon of oil every 200 miles.
In North Dakota’s west river country Westgard traveled through our Old Red Old Ten towns. He saw our farmers at work. He visited with our business people. And he might of watched a baseball game. When it wasn’t raining, his journey through our country went well. The most difficult portion of his trek across our state was in the Bad Lands.
In 1913 the American Trail Blazing Association started marking Westgard’s Northwest trail with red and white markers and the route was called the Red Trail. And the auto tourists began coming to North Dakota.
Goodbye for now. Remember promoting the Old Red Old Ten promotes our towns, and always take time to talk to the cows.
Bennett Kubischta is the President of the Old Red Old Ten Scenic Byway Committee.