THOMAS FLYER RACE ROUTE 

The race started in Times Square, New York City on February 12, 1908.  The six cars followed Hudson River to Albany and then across New York State to Buffalo.  From Buffalo the cars traveled present-day Route 20 to Erie, Pennsylvania; Cleveland, Ohio; and Toledo, Ohio; and across Indiana to Chicago.  Leaving Chicago Route 30 was followed west across Illinois and Iowa to Omaha.  Then through Kearney, Lexington, North Platte, and Sidney, Nebraska.  In southern Wyoming the route passed through Cheyenne, Laramie, Rock Springs, Granger, and Evanston.  Castle Rock, Ogden, Brigham, and Promontory Point, Utah were stops.  Nevada was entered in the northeastern corner.  But the car dipped south to Tonopah to enter California at Stovepipe Wells.  Swinging west to Bakersfield, the car headed northwest through Fresno, Los Banos, Gilroy, San Jose, and Oakland arriving in San Francisco on March 24, 1908.  From there the car went by ship, SS City of Pueblo, to Seattle, Washington.  Then by the SS Santa Clara to Valdez, Alaska.  Finding it impossible to drive through Alaska to the Bering Strait, the race committee ordered the car returned to Seattle where it was shipped to Japan.

 The car crossed Japan to Vladivostock, Russia and traveled west through Mongolia.  Crossing Asia through Harbin, Lake Baikal, Tomsk, to Ekaterinburg, the car entered the European-Asian boundary.  The car then swung north to Moscow and St. Petersburg, then south through the German frontier to Berlin.  The final trek across Europe to Paris was accomplished when the car arrived at the finish point at 8:00 p.m. on July 30, 1908.

 For a map, see link www.TheGreatAutoRace.com.

copyright Concord Historical Society 2005