Overland Chronicles: The Pan American Highway Expedition of 1940-41
In the early 1940s, a group of intrepid adventurers dubbed the “Three Damn Fools” left Detroit, Michigan, with nothing but a Plymouth and a prayer.
Okay, that’s not exactly true. They also had a bunch of gear and a plan. They would drive 14,000 miles through jungles, deserts, and mountains to reach Cape Horn, the southern tip of South America.
Led by the determined Sullivan C. Richardson, the Pan American Highway Expedition began to conquer an uncharted path from the United States to the tip of South America.
Since then, the Pan American Highway has become one of the world’s most well-known intercontinental overland routes. But at the time, there was no continuous road network from north to south from the United States to Cape Horn, so the team had to drive off-road through some sections—one particularly hairy 50-mile section in Oaxaca, Mexico, took them 25 days to complete.
Richardson, an ad man for the Detroit News newspaper, conceived of the expedition and convinced two other men from Detroit, Kenneth C. Vann Hee and Arnold Whitaker, to join him. With his journalism and marketing background, Richardson brought a flare for publicity to the expedition. Whitaker, a mechanic at one of Detroit’s many auto factories, brought critical car maintenance and repair skills.
The trio set off on their trip in the Plymouth sedan on November 18, 1940, under a cloud of skepticism from many who heard about the expedition. Harry Chandler, the publisher of the LA Times, doubted they’d make it through Central America, predicting the “Cape Horn Auto Caravan will bog down.”
Others had attempted the route and failed. “So far as I am aware, no individual has been able to make the trip from one boundary of Nicaragua to the other all the way by automobile,” Meredith Nicholson, American Minister to Nicaragua’s capitol, Managua, wrote. “Last year a fully equipped expedition, which had traversed the Sahara three times and had gone from end to end of Africa, was compelled to abandon the attempt after progressing from the northern Nicaraguan line to the town of Chinandega. Hospitalization was also necessary.”
Despite the naysayers, Richardson and his compatriots persevered through Mexico and Central and South America.
As the Pan American Highway Expedition progressed, the team encountered numerous challenges that tested their resolve and ingenuity.
The expedition faced one of its first significant obstacles in Mexico, where severe flooding transformed dry roads into impassable mud pits. After six days of relentless rain, Richardson and his team struggled to maneuver their heavily laden Plymouth sedan through the mire. Each mile was a grueling test of patience and persistence as they battled the elements to keep moving forward.
Leaving Mexico, they entered the dense jungles of Central America, which proved to be equally daunting. With no established roads, the team relied heavily on local guides to lead them through the thick vegetation and primitive trails. At times, they had to abandon their vehicle and continue on foot, using mules to carry supplies across treacherous terrain. These remote areas presented not only physical challenges but also a psychological test of their determination to reach their goal.
In Guatemala, the expedition faced perilous river crossings that posed significant risks to both the team and their vehicle. Makeshift ferries and primitive bridges were often the only means of crossing these water bodies.
One particularly harrowing experience involved using a rickety ferry that barely supported the weight of their Plymouth sedan. The team had to carefully balance the vehicle and navigate the swift currents, knowing that a single misstep could spell disaster.
The terrain was, at times, remote and lonely. “Gradually, we had come to think there were no other living things, or wheels, in the whole world: only mud, incredible, mucilaginous mud,” Richardson wrote. “And through it all, we had to take a big white Plymouth, loaded twice as heavily as a car should be.”
As they ventured into the Andes, the team encountered rugged mountain terrain and found out the roads were closed due to winter snow and ice. They asked if they could drive their car on train tracks that had been cleared. They were denied, but they were told they could put their car on a train and ride the tracks through the mountains.
On August 19, 1941, the team arrived in Cape Horn, 274 days and around 16,000 miles after they’d left Michigan.
Nowadays, the full Pan-American Highway is considered to run from the top of Alaska to Cape Horn, a route outlined in our guide to the major overlanding routes through the US. But this successful first Pan American Highway Expedition remains a testament to the indomitable spirit of adventure and exploration.
Through treacherous roads, dense jungles, perilous river crossings, and rugged mountains, the three men demonstrated remarkable perseverance and ingenuity. Their journey not only paved the way for future overlanders but also etched their names into the annals of history, inspiring generations to push the boundaries of what is possible.
Fortunately for us, Richardson and co documented much of the trip with a film camera and wrote accounts of the trip in books and articles. The Plymoth Bulletin, a publication of the Plymouth Owners Club, published a first person account of the trek in 1982.
A two part film was made about the journey, the first part was called the Rough Road to Panama, and the second part, the Rugged Road to Cape Horn. Here are both:
