On This Date in Minnesota History: July 13

July 13, 1905 - After walking almost continuously since April 1903, and covering 16,000 miles, “Sailor Jean” arrived in Minneapolis this evening.

“Sailor Jean” started from Augusta, Me., in the spring of 1903 with the avowed intention of visiting the capital of every state in the union before Oct. 1, 1906, and of making the entire distance of 22,000 miles necessary to do this on foot, an average of 20 miles a day.

Up to date he has gained three months on the schedule time, and if the finish is made within the limit an eastern publisher has agreed to reward “Sailor Jean” with the sum of $5,000, receiving in return a half share in a book that will be published upon the longest trip ever undertaken by any man on foot.

As he walks, “Sailor Jean” or J. A. Krohn, as he is rightly known, pushes a wheelbarrow, or “trolleyette,” provided with an ordinary bicycle wheel and a barrel, in which are carried all the supplies he requires.

“Sailor Jean”¹ 

The trip has led through the badlands of Dakota, through uninhabited wastes in the Rocky Mountain region and through arid plains resembling the famous “Death Valley” in Arizona, and has resulted in many adventures. Twice the consideration of trainmen saved his life. When crossing the arid lands on the right of way the crew of a passing train noticed that he was about to drink from the deadly springs of that region and showered him with oranges.

While in the badlands, where no water was available, the engineer of a locomotive divined the situation, and upon shaking a cup out of the cab window, received a nod in the affirmative. The train was stopped and all hands assembled for a drink.

In Idaho, the traveler was four days lost. Being without food, he was obliged to sustain himself on rabbits brought with a revolver.

In New Mexico, where several nights were spent sleeping on the plains, the droves of coyotes were kept at bay by stockades built of prickly pear cacti.

Between Gettysburg and Pierre, S. D., where Mr. Krohn made his longest single day’s journey of 61 miles, he narrowly escaped being by a stampeding herd of cattle by throwing himself over a wire fence, which he reached after a mad rush over the prairie.

“Sailor Jean” says he was born at St. Peter, Minn., but he has been a sailor so long that he claims any salt water town as his home.

This long tramp is not without joy. “Sailor Jean’s” wife follows him by train, and the two plan their tours so they can spend Sundays together.

The sailor and his “trolleyette” are both weather-beaten. The sailor is dressed in his naval uniform, and exposure to wind and sun has made him as swarthy as an Indian. The “trolleyette” is a crude affair, the wheel being part of the “running gear” of a bicycle. The cranberry barrel, which is an important part of the vehicle, is well stored with the traveler’s effects. The sailor carries a supply of aluminum souvenirs, which he puts into circulation.

He had tokens produced to sell along the way for 10¢, as well as giving lectures, selling postcards and advertising space on his trolleyette.

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"Sailor Jean is walking and pushing a trolleyette to all the state capitols in the United States; a distance of 22,000 miles in 3 ½ years. He will write a book of his travels starting April 1st 1903 and to the end Oct. 1st, 1906."

The Minneapolis Tribune; “Freak Travelers Visit City. ‘Sailor Jean’ Under Contract to Visit Every State Capitol in the United States Within Three and a Half Years, Lands in Minneapolis, Pushing Trolleyette—The Trip Means Trudge of 22,000 Miles—John W. Avery and ‘Jersey Joe’ Mayer Rest on Bicycle Trip to Portland Exposition.”; July 14, 1905; p. 6.

¹The Guthrie Daily Leader; Guthrie, OK; Feb. 01, 1904; p. 1.

²https://tokencatalog.com/token_record_forms.php?action=DisplayTokenRecord&td_id=287560&inventory_id=248894&attribution_id=293131


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