In June 1975, a team of horses pulled a covered wagon out of Blaine, Washington and pointed it east. It was the first of fifty, one for every state in the union, setting out to retrace America's old pioneer trails in reverse for the country's 200th birthday.

A Nation Rides Backward

The Bicentennial Wagon Train Pilgrimage was organized by the Bicentennial Commission of Pennsylvania, working with the federal American Revolution Bicentennial Administration.

Each state supplied its own crew of wagoneers. Every state wagon rode from its capital to a junction point, then joined one of several national routes heading toward Pennsylvania.

The routes followed historic paths as closely as possible: the Oregon Trail, the Santa Fe Trail, the Mormon Trail, the Natchez Trace, and Pennsylvania's own Lancaster Pike. This time the wagons moved in the opposite direction settlers once traveled.

Volunteer "Pony Express" outriders rode ahead on horseback. Their job was to reach small towns that sat off the main trail.

Scrolls From Every Town

At each stop, local residents were invited to sign a scroll. The words pledged their belief in the principles the country was founded on.

Outriders carried the signed scrolls back to the nearest state wagon. From there, the scrolls traveled onward toward Pennsylvania.

By the time the journey ended, an estimated 22 million Americans had added their names. That was roughly one in ten people living in the country at the time.

Wide shot of dozens of covered wagons and horse teams camped together in an open field at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania in July 1976, showing the scale of the Bicentennial Wagon Train Pilgrimage encampment — Wagons from every state camped together at Valley Forge after a year on the trail.

Valley Forge, July 1976

After just over a year and roughly 17,000 miles, the wagon trains converged at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania on July 3.

Along the way, the pilgrimage had stopped at 249 official encampments in towns and cities across the country.

Nearly 300 wagons and about 5,000 riders on horseback rolled into camp together.

The next morning, President Gerald Ford visited the encampment. He accepted the signed scrolls and signed legislation establishing Valley Forge as a National Historical Park.

Fifty States, One Road

The state wagons stayed on public display at Valley Forge for months afterward before finally heading home.

Half a century later, as America marks its 250th birthday, the wagon train remains one of the largest civilian mobilizations in the country's history. Fifty states. One road. One destination.

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