New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-05-14
FROM OX-WAG0N
TO AUTOMOBILE
Ezra Meeker Turns to a
Pathfinder Twelve For
His CrOss-Country Trip.

For the second time Ezra Mccker
will make transcontnental tour on
the now nearly lost Oregon Trail. He
made one trip from coast TO coast,
driving yoke Of oxen. in the years
1910, 1911, 1912. His first trip was from
Indianapolis 10 Oregon in 1852 and was
an almost indescribable series Of hard
ships and privations This present
trip will be far different. Instead OF
the oxen-drawn prairie schooner
cramped and uncomfortable as a cage.
creeping and humping along rlbboned
scar across the deserts, the wilderness
and the snowy Rockies 10 a promised
land OF plenty, this journey will nc
made in twelve-cylinder motor car,
equipped properly for such long dis
lance and on roads. which while IN
many places leaving room for great
improvement, by comparison are
smooth as paper.
Ezra Meeker is old now. or. as he
says, "eighty-fve years young" but
the unquenched fire Of youth still
burns in his veins. He is no longer the
stalwart young man with the indomi-
table pioneer courage that was ready
to face the weary march, the con
tingency of meeting savage Indians,
disease and the cravings Of famine.
He is slightly stopped now and his
snow-white hair flows TO his should
ers, but in spirit at least he is no
older than the 22-year-old youth
Of so for he has mission IN
life. This is to instill the flower OF
patriotism in the breast OF each per
son with whom he comes in contact,
and TO fittingly commemorate the work
Of the pioneers in penetrating the
virgin West by erecting stone monu-
ments along the old Oregon Trail.
Much of this work has already been
done by Mr.. Meeker. by driving yoke
Of oxen from the Atlantic to the Pa
cifc, a trip which took twenty-five
months. selling his books along the
route, the proceeds of which are do
mated to a self-sppointed task.
Meeker was born at Huntsville, u,
December 20, 1880. His parents moved
TO Indiana. near the village Of String
Town. now called Indianapolis, when
ne was only toddling youngster. Here
he grew TO manhood, following the
usual life Of the pioneer boy. lie
hunted and fshed in the district which
is now covered with factories and resi-
dences.
For time Mr.. Meeker worked in The
Indianapolis Journal" printing once,
but the confning indoor work did not
appeal to him, so he became farmer
tiliing the soil. harvesting and dong
the countless other duties OF farm IRE
in the crude makeshift manner that
.lrtr
call of the open road took him. ana
the desire for land Of his own caused
him to start on mis- first journey over
the broad eXpanse TO the Paclhc AZ
the age of twenty-one ne married, ana
soon after with his young wife set out
to an unknown destination. veiled IN
the mysteries of secret dangers, that
led him after much delay TO Port
land, Ore.
when | decided 20 make this trans
continental trip in an automobile. |
looking around for a suit
able car" said Mr.. Meeker. The
Pathfinder Twin-Six appealed 70 me as
the logical motor car for the long
Journey. The honestly earned reputa-
ton it possesses for sound mechanl-
cal ability, road-worthiness and long
touring ease maze II the oHe Soi ~
me. Then. too. my early home was
very near the site of the factory, and
many a day have hunted rabbits and
'coons where the big Pathfinder plant
now stretches, west of White River:
The car is a special job, being stripped
to the chassis and a prairie schooner
body and top built on. While there
is. of course, nothing beautiful about
my 'schoonermobile' in comparison
with the graceful lines of the regular
car. | chose this type because | intend
20 live in the car until the trip is
By careful planning and
minimizing useless space, 1t Is sur
prising how much a prairie schooner
body will carry and still be homelike
indeed. / was delayed in Indianapolis
while my latest book was being print
cd and left the city April %, starting
from Monument Place, or Governors
Circle as It was formally called. be-
fore the beautiful monument was even
a creature Of dreams.