Month: August 2020

It was the summer of 1916.  Women didn’t have the right to vote, nor were they considered equals to men. But they did have the same tenacity, courage, and creativity that women have always had, regardless of the recognition they received for their talents and abilities. This is the story of Augusta and Adeline Van Buren, two sisters who journeyed from New York to California, the first women to do so on solo motorcycles.

Gussie and Addie were intelligent young women in their 20s when they set out from Sheepshead Bay in New York City to begin their transcontinental journey. They left on July 4th and arrived in Los Angeles on September 8th after traveling 5,500 miles over hazardous roads.  There were no superhighways in those days. They would have to be content with dry weather, although washouts, heavy rains, and mud were often the conditions that they had to accept..