Tales of a Pathfinder

“Daniel Boone of the Gasoline Age” is an apt way to describe Anton L. Westgard. He was one of the pioneers who helped build the foundation for automotive travel. Without the pathfinding excursions of Westgard and others like him, the way west would be a tangle of buffalo traces and weed infested country lanes. In the early part of the 20th century, U.S. highways and byways were in deplorable shape. Rains drenched the dirt roads and often left a gumbo-like substance making travel by cart or car nearly impossible. For progress to continue, particularly within the automotive industry, we needed better roads. Plus, the Good Roads Movement needed trail blazers to lead the way. Westgard was one of these people. By the time Tales of a Pathfinder was first published, Westgard had traveled thousands of miles to charter the way west for the automobile to follow. He had endured life-threatening blizzards, scarcity of gasoline stations, and blinding dust storms among other obstacles to his mission. Tales of a Pathfinder is Westgard’s own story and impressions as he wrote them in 1920.