Book Review: The Unlikely Friendship Between Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, and John Burroughs

Writer Wes Davis explores the friendship and civil discourse among Ford, Edison, and Burroughs—despite their differences—in his new book “American Journey.”

ʻAMERICAN JOURNEY: On the Road with Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, and John Burroughs W.W. Norton & Company, 2023

An industrialist, an inventor, and a naturalist all pile into one vehicle for a road trip. It sort of has the makings of a humorous anecdote. In fact, that is practically what Wes Davis’s new book, “American Journey: On the Road with Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, and John Burroughs,” is―excepting that its form is a bit longer.

Ford, Edison, and Burroughs bestowed gifts on Americans through their innovation, ingenuity, and passion for people and nature. Mr. Davis has regifted them in a form that readers have most likely never seen―poetically as fellow travelers, or in more modern terms, road-trip buddies.

Proof of Friendship

“American Journey” explores the friendships among these three American giants, along with a handful of other important figures, like Harvey Firestone and Luther Burbank, who were at times seen with them on their travels. There were the obvious differences among the three, none greater than Burroughs compared to Edison and Ford. Mr. Davis, however, proves that they were the perfect trio in spite of those differences, and mostly because of their mutual interests.

Burroughs, the naturalist and ornithologist, would be an obvious choice for a nature explorer, but of course as he entered his 80s, traveling by foot or by horse proved less and less practical. Edison, though an inventor who worked exhaustively and squeezed every minute out of every hour, loved the outdoors and roughing it, even seemingly as much as, if not more than, Burroughs. Ford, a lover of birds and the outdoors, had built a method of transportation that allowed all three to journey just about anywhere they wished to go. And go they did.

Interestingly, Burroughs viewed Ford’s creation negatively, believing it would diminish people’s appreciation for nature. When Ford heard of Burroughs’s sentiment, he gifted him a car; Burroughs accepted, and shortly thereafter he changed his view. In my opinion, this moment, discussed very early in the book, is part and parcel of the story. These three luminaries were gentlemen. Differing views, exemplified with Burroughs’s opinion of Ford’s car, never incited ill feelings. Throughout Mr. Davis’s work, we are given examples of true civil discourse. This discourse is conducted through generosity, not just of wealth, but of spirit.

This narrative takes place near the outbreak of World War I, a time chock-full of differing views. Ford’s views of the war and America’s war preparation differed in the extreme compared to Edison and Burroughs; but there was nary a sense of animosity for it. In fact, they still traveled and camped together before, during, and after America became involved. Perhaps this is not one of the points that Mr. Davis was trying to make. It may be that their never-ceasing affability is a by-product of the story. Nonetheless, there is a lesson here. (Of course, once America became involved, Ford decided to do what he could for the war effort.)

Looking Back

Concerning the war effort, both Edison and Ford were intricately involved. Much of their time was taken innovating, trouble-shooting, and creating to assist in bringing about victory for the Allies. Yet they still made time to travel, whether visiting the Civil War haunts or scouring the mountains of New York and West Virginia (it also helped to have the ultimate roadside mechanic in Ford).

“American Journey” is an encouragement for moderns to take such excursions. We are not as busy as they were, certainly; our modern vehicles are far more comfortable and durable; highways are now plentiful; and today’s roads are hardly the makeshift versions that they were a century ago.

Mr. Davis, through the journeys of this group of friends, also shows how much the times have changed. I do not mean from the aforementioned modes of transportation and the roads we travel. No, I refer to societal changes. The trio had no issue asking landowners if they could stake their camp on their properties. Most often the answer was in the affirmative. Newspapers may have alerted the locals to their upcoming visit, but when they visited towns, local stores, and hotels, it caused excitement, not chaos or controversy. I hardly think, with social media, that three of today’s most prominent Americans could go on such an excursion and enjoy such peace, solitude, and friendliness.

“American Journey” is an uplifting read, if not solely because it creates a sense of nostalgia. More than that, however, it expresses the benefits of friendship and the qualities necessary for such an ideal. Mr. Davis has written a lovely narrative that repackages the gifts that were Ford, Edison, and Burroughs.

“American Journey: On the Road with Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, and John Burroughs” by Wes Davis (W.W. Norton & Company, 2023).

This article was originally published in American Essence magazine.