An Irish immigrant went from one side of the United States to the other in under 80 days to resolve a disagreement. John Ennis of County Longford stated he was inspired by an American man’s comment that “only a person born in the US” could complete the challenge.
Mr. Ennis was born in Ireland in 1842 and came to Chicago during the Famine. He later resided in Connecticut and fought in the American Civil War.
He moved on to work in construction, as did many other Irish immigrants, and later became interested in competition walking, earning renown for his physical ability.
In May 1910, Ennis, then 67, heard a statement from his longstanding adversary Edward Payson Weston, who had walked from New York to San Francisco in 105 days the year before.
Ennis stated at the time, “I was stirred up by Weston’s reported assertion that no one save a person born in America could do such a walk. I’ve got a pair of good Irish legs, and I thought I could pull off the same or better stunt.”
Determined to succeed, he began his journey on Coney Island, filling a bottle with Atlantic Ocean seawater, which he would later pour into the Pacific Ocean when he arrived in California. He also had letters from New York City Mayor William Gaynor that he was supposed to send to the mayors of Chicago and San Francisco.
Ennis spent the next few weeks trekking across dirt roads and swimming in vast bodies of water along the way. He finished the hike in 80 days and leaped into the sea in San Francisco when he arrived.
Mr Ennis was accompanied on his voyage by his son Frank, who traveled ahead of him by train and arranged for him to stay in new towns and cities every night.
Mr Ennis also won skiing championships and participated in other sports such as boxing, rowing, and swimming. He died from pneumonia at the age of 86.