president of the Packard Motorcar Company in a 1913 Packard doing a trailblazer journey across the USA scouting a route for the Lincoln Highway

photos from http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=428585&page=930

Conceived in 1912 by Carl Fisher, (founder of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway), the Lincoln Highway would be the first highway to stretch coast-to-coast. In those days few “improved” (graded) roads existed, and those few were only found within city limits. Long-distance auto trips weren’t something even considered by prudent individuals, but the highway would prove instrumental in making cars a viable mode of travel.