There is perhaps no greater symbol of the emerging twentieth century than the humble automobile.

Bicycle mechanics J. Frank and Charles Duryea of Springfield, Massachusetts, designed the first successful American gasoline automobile in 1893, then won the first American car race in 1895, capturing the public’s imagination. They then went on to make the first sale of an American-made gasoline car the following year. But, as the new century dawned, it was Henry Ford and his affordable Model T that truly ushered in the dawn of the automobile era. Such was the popularity of his machines that, by the end of the 20th century’s first decade, 485 different companies had entered the marketplace, all offering their own styles of vehicles to appease every taste and budget.

So, it makes sense that, along with the birth of the automobile came another inevitable slice of Americana: the first great American road trip.

And on this day back in 1908, Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Murdock, along with their three children, decided to do just that.

Loading up their Packard Thirty touring car, the group sought to become the first family to travel across the country by car, departing Los Angeles and arriving in New York, a journey of 3,693 miles.

Pretty simple, right? By today’s standards, yes. But in 1908, the notion of car travel was a whole different beast.

For one thing, early cars were notoriously unreliable. Flat tires and break downs were common, repair knowledge was limited, and it wasn’t as if AAA was an option. Anticipating this, Murdock hired a mechanic by the name of Philip DeMay. They stocked spare parts under the rear seat and carried a small winch on the left running board. On the right, they strapped two 8-foot-long hickory poles and two shovels. Handy in a pinch, but it did make the right-side doors unusable. In addition, the car was loaded with supplies: camping equipment, food, two 5-gallon gas cans, ropes and wire for emergency use, a compressed air tank for pumping up tires, an acetylene tank for fueling the headlights, and a .30-30 Winchester to ward off coyotes. Extra tires were sent to service stations ahead of time, just in case.

That is, if they could get there.

Unlike today’s interstates, there were no highways joining city to city and not even that many paved roads in general. Though Murdock’s goal was to average 100 miles per day, travel was often stalled due to sand drifts or lack of discernible paths. In a book Murdock later wrote about the experience, A Family Tour from Ocean to Ocean, Jacob complained about one particularly rough day in which the family was only able to travel 18 miles in 8 hours, while using 30 gallons of gas.

Thankfully, travel became easier the further east they traveled. Roads were much developed on the other side of the Mississippi. Still, by the time the Murdock family finally arrived in New York on May 26, the trip had clocked in at a staggering 32 days, 5 hours, and 25 minutes. Irregardless, they had achieved their goal, becoming the first family to cross the country by car, an astonishing feat the nation couldn’t help but celebrate. Not only were the Murdocks mobbed by press at every turn but, for much of the stretch between Chicago and New York, they were accompanied by a parade of automobiles in a show of support. When they finally reached the Big Apple, a ferry took them from Hoboken to the foot of Twenty-third Street. From there, they drove up Broadway to the Packard store to celebrate.

The Murdocks were the first, but they most certainly would not be the last.

The great American roadtrip had been born.