106 PAINT HORSE JOURNAL MONTH 2006 - The Long Riders' Guild

graph with California’s governor was takenmarking the momentous event. Then, they setout for one final leg of the trip, the PanamaPacific International Exposition in San Francisco.Finally, with the longest ride on recordcompleted, they thought surely that the boisterouscrowds gathered there to celebrate theopening of the Panama Canal would welcomethem too as adventurous American legends!At last, their moment of fame had arrived.“Get them hayburners off the street!”however, was the greeting they receivedfrom a policeman. Their momentous, historicaladventure utterly failed to spark publicinterest.Within a few days, all mention of the conclusionto the ride of the century also passedfrom public view. The news was focused onthe outbreak of World War I, not on one ofthe greatest equestrian feats of all time.Beck’s three saddle companions, depleted ofmoney and energy, sold their horses and tookthe train back home to Washington State.Beck, however, wasn’t ready to give up. Hestayed in San Francisco working hard to bringthe amazing story of this unequalled horsebackodyssey to the public by approachingeditors and authors. It still failed, and he wasturned down by many, including Jack London.Without hope for the fame and fortunehe was so certain awaited him, and now completelybroke, he managed one last great act—to care for his horse, Pinto.Beck and the 900-pound gelding hadbonded over more miles of a single journeythan any other horse and man have ever takentogether throughout all of history. The horsemanmanaged to scrape together the moneyto get himself and Pinto (and Nip, as well)back home on a tramp steamer.There, Puget Sound awaited in the calmnessof its regular workday routine, and thepair came full circle from one of the mostamazing adventures of the era to the same regularstatus with which they had left—richeronly for the experience.Ending their journeyon May 24, 1915—three years and amonth after theybegan—the OverlandWesterners arrivedin Sacramento,California, their 48thand final capital.COURTESY NATIONAL COWBOY MUSEUMPAINT HORSE JOURNAL ◆ MAY 2008 ◆ 111