Eisenhower’s 1919 Trek Led to Road Network

he history of the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, the landmark legislation championed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower and other visionaries that changed the mobility of a nation and paved the way to the modern-day trucking industry, actually has roots dating to 1919.

That’s when a young Lieutenant Colonel Eisenhower participated in the U.S. Army’s first transcontinental motor convoy from Washington, D.C., to San Francisco. The 3,251-mile trip, which driver teams today routinely make in about four days, took 62 days — only five days behind schedule.

The convoy endured mishaps that included mechanical breakdowns, trucks and other equipment crashing through wooden bridges, slippery roads, conditions described as “gumbo,” and countless vehicles stuck in mud or sand.