On June 9, 1909, 22-year-old Alice Ramsey began a historic transcontinental road trip, traveling from New York City and heading towards San Fransisco to become the first woman to drive across America.  And next Tuesday, 100 years later, another young woman, Emily Anderson, will make the same landmark drive in a virtually identical 1909 Maxwell DA, a nearly extinct  automobile rebuilt by her father Richard.  I’m a big fan of road trips and the drive sounds like an amazing way to celebrate a little known portion of women’s history.

Emily plans to use the drive to recognize women’s achievements over the years, inviting female politicians, celebrities, businesswomen and others to join her for portions of the trip.  Another seat in the Maxwell DA will be reserved for people to purchase a leg of the journey for a friend, loved one, or themselves, with the proceeds donated to a selected charity.  The journey will be filmed by Emily’s brother, Bengt Anderson, for a documentary and educational tool.

Check out the trailer after the jump:

Alice’s Drive from Bengt Anderson on Vimeo.

The project sounds amazing, and I feel a particular connection because Alice Ramsey attended my alma mater, Vassar College (of course, back then I wouldn’t have been a classmate of hers, as Vassar accepted only women then).  You can keep track of the drive’s progress with this map and blog and if the Maxwell DA will be traveling near you, go out and cheer them on.  Maybe you or someone you know could join them for part of the ride!  For other ways to get involved, check out the action link below: