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THE
PEDESTRIAN by Tom Talpey
That seemed like a LOT of money for the year 1869. Curiosity getting to me, I started by looking him up in an old Encyclopedia Americana where I found that his full name was Edward Payson Weston and that he earned his living by walking all over the country (and Europe) for bets, contests and prizes. Using the more modern Google internet search I gleaned many more details of his career. In addition, he published a journal of the trip, called "The Pedestrian," a copy of which I used to verify some of the details.* His fame began at age 22 when he made a boast while dining with a friend that if Abraham Lincoln won the presidential election he would walk the nearly 500 miles from Boston to Washington, DC, to attend the inauguration. In a speech as he was starting out he announced (quoting from his pamphlet) that he "had made no money-bets, but had wagered six half-pints of peanuts" that he could do it in 10 days. He engaged two men to follow him in a carriage to bear witness that he actually walked the entire distance and to carry spare clothing and supplies, together with stacks of advertising flyers which he would leave off at various stops along the way to help defray the expenses of the trip. One of his major sponsors was the Grover & Baker Sewing Machine Co. However, most of the places where he stopped would not charge for food or lodging, presumably because of the publicity which his visit generated.
Most of the time he would eat as he walked, "munching on sandwiches offered by villagers as he trudged by." He would snatch catnaps and partake of light meals at houses along the way and occasionally stay at a hotel. "His longest snooze, at a Trenton, NJ, tavern, was less than 6 hours." "At the Continental Hotel, in Philadelphia, he refused to ride the new steam elevator, saying 'I will not alter my mode of travel' and walked up to his room. Two days later, after an all-night walk, he reached Baltimore, ate breakfast, and then started out in a driving rain over muddy roads on the final lap. He made the Capitol on March 4 [in the late afternoon], too late to see Lincoln sworn in but not too late for the Inauguration Ball, which he had enough strength to attend that night." The journal relates that he was introduced to Lincoln, who offered to pay his way home by means other than foot. But Weston declined, saying that since he had failed to get there in time he would vindicate himself by walking back.
The trip referred to in Nellie's dairy was a wandering 5000 mile trek which started in Bangor, Maine, with plans to walk to St. Paul and return to New York. He never completed it, however, ending the walk in Buffalo, already four days behind schedule. Walking in the winter it was no wonder! Presumably he never got the $25,000 prize that Nellie mentioned. Piecing together articles from various local newspapers** I have been able to trace an outline of his walk through Washington, as well as the entire state of New Hampshire. He entered the state at Wakefield, on the Maine border, and walked from Union Village to Concord, arriving at the Phenix Hotel on Monday, Jan. 25th, at half past three in the afternoon. After resting for two hours he set out for Hillsborough, stopping during the night at a farmhouse in East Weare. He reached the American House in Hillsborough at three in the afternoon, dined and left at five for Washington.
Later in life at age 70 he started on March 16, 1909, to walk from New York to San Francisco, aiming to do it in 100 days. Fans turned out by the thousands along the route to cheer him on. "He was snowed on, rained on, attacked by mosquitoes, and menaced by hoboes. Crossing the Rockies winds were so strong that he had to crawl on hands and knees, [making] four miles in 24 hours. But the old man pushed on, hitting San Francisco in 104 days." He deemed it a great failure and the following year he hiked back, "this time starting from Santa Monica, aiming to reach New York in 90 days. He did it in 76." His last big hike was in 1913 at age 74, from New York to Minneapolis. He died in New York at age 90, two years after being hit by a taxi and being confined to a wheelchair. Although he seems to be an unabashed showman, you have to admire the fellow. There have been numerous long distance walkers over the years who have become famous. One is reminded of Doris "Granny D" Haddock, the Dublin, NH, hiker who on Jan. 1, 1999, at age 89, began a 3200 mile walk from California to Washington, DC, to demonstrate her concern for campaign reform. She walked 10 miles per day for 14 months, staying with supporters and making speeches along the way. Arriving in Washington in Feb. 2000, she was met by over 2200 people. Ya gotta respect Granny D, as well! And, finally, this year a man calling himself "Buckwheat" Donahue completed a walk and canoe jaunt from Miami Beach, Florida, to Skagway Alaska, to raise money and awareness for a Skagway hospital.. He had started walking on Oct. 1, 2005, and 327 days later, on Aug. 24, 2006, arrived in Skagway, using a canoe for some of the Alaskan portions of his 7000 mile journey. A map and journal of his trip can be found at www.buckwheat.info. * "The Pedestrian: being a correct journal of incidents on a walk from the state house, Boston, Mass., to the U.S. Capitol, at Washington, DC, performed in ten consecutive days, between Feb. 22nd and March 4th, 1861." I obtained a copy of this fascinating, rare 48-page pamphlet through the Cornell University Library Alumni and Friends Access service and have deposited it in our museum. It makes a very good short read for anyone interested in borrowing it. ** Newspapers: |
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