[AT] What was that salvage tractor?

[James Peck]

I can remember the 1916 Pershing expedition being portrayed on the "Young Indiana Jones" mini-series. No tractors were shown. Maybe they towed the gasoline trailers.

I visited the State of Texas Big Bend Park in 1995 as well as Big Bend National Park. The Texas site had a display documenting the incursion of the forces of Francisco Villa during the Mexican Revolution period. The Villistas were attacking non-Hispanic owned ranches and the US Army was trying to prevent it. Cuaranderos used mirrors to signal the Villistas as to the whereabout of the US Cavalry, An enterprising Army officer bought a personally owned airplane kit and had it shipped to the Big Bend area. He could fly over the area, including Mexican air space, and keep track of the Villista's movements. He would drop notes in small bags weighted down with pebbles to the troops below.

The display was gone when I returned a year later. I had no digital camera then.

Villa did help get the US Army ready for WW1 aviation. His incursions resulted in the Pershing expedition which appear to have gotten the US Army somewhat familiar with tractors.

<snip> The U.S. Army was slow to adopt crawler tractors and motorized trucks, even though Brigadier General John J. Pershing, who led the 1916 Mexican punitive expedition, said later, “The expedition ... would have been impossible without the tractor and motor truck.”<snip>


________________________________
From: AT <at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com> on behalf of Stephen Offiler <soffiler at gmail.com>
Sent: Sunday, March 1, 2020 7:20 AM
To: Antique Tractor Email Discussion Group <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Subject: Re: [AT] What was that salvage tractor?

You might want to check out:
https://www.amazon.com/American-Road-Story-Transcontinental-Journey/dp/080506883X

See also:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Highway

SO

On Sat, Feb 29, 2020 at 2:28 PM James Peck <jamesgpeck at hotmail.com<mailto:jamesgpeck at hotmail.com>> wrote:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2019/07/07/driving-cross-country-was-crazy-idea-an-army-convoy-set-out-show-it-could-be-done/
[https://www.washingtonpost.com/resizer/4soppqlVp_n7-H09w5qX_xJIOjE=/1440x0/smart/arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/T4Y4YOE5D4I6TA7DIX663DUNFY.jpg]<https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2019/07/07/driving-cross-country-was-crazy-idea-an-army-convoy-set-out-show-it-could-be-done/>
In 1919, Army convoy drove cross-country from Washington to San Francisco - The Washington Post<https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2019/07/07/driving-cross-country-was-crazy-idea-an-army-convoy-set-out-show-it-could-be-done/>
In 1919, driving cross-country was a crazy idea. An Army convoy set out to show it could be done. Dwight Eisenhower was along for the ride from Washington to San Francisco.
www.washingtonpost.com<http://www.washingtonpost.com>

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