And his scheme would produce both! How could anyone resist "the longest horse ride on record"—especially right at the dawn of "the age of the automobile"? Now, if he could just talk his buddies into coming along…

George started with his younger brother. Charles Beck usually worked for the railroad, but recently he had been laid off. Although hesitant, Charles finally signed on for "the horse ride of the century."

Next George approached his 37-year-old brother-in-law, J. B. "Jay" Ransom. "Slim"—as he also was known—lived in Shelton and thought that a three-year horseback tour of the United States was just the ticket, since he was barely eking out a living for his young family as a logger.

"Jay" suggested that the brothers also include his neighbor and fellow woodsman Raymond "Fat" Rayne. This wispy 20-year-old was itching for adventure and wanted to try "being a cowboy."

Thus was created the mounted quartet that planned to visit every state capital in America—all 48 of them—on horseback, leading a single pack horse. George skillfully had selected the name "Overland Westerners," by which the men would ride into notoriety. The proposed trail covered 20,352 miles—the equivalent of five trips from coast to coast. Montana would contribute almost 700 miles to this total and would provide lots of excitement for the boys.

George had the whole thing figured out. The horsemen would leave Olympia, Washington, on May 1, 1912, follow a carefully plotted—if zigzag—course through the country (please see the map), and finish in Sacramento, California, in May, 1915. By dipping south during the winter seasons, they could keep their schedule and avoid harsh weather and tough road conditions.

After completing their mission in Sacramento, a short ride would bring the adventurers to the gates of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco on June 1. According to George’s scenario, the "Overland Westerners" would be received there with great amazement, fanfare, and acclaim. They would become "the toast of the World’s Fair"! The boys then would sell souvenirs of their trip from a stand on the midway and make public appearances before thousands of adoring fair-goers. Fame and fortune, indeed—a veritable pot of gold!

George’s scheme required documentation for "the Great State House Ride." Thus, the boys would secure postal cancellations at every sizeable community along their route. They would have their photograph taken with each governor (if available) in front of his capitol and obtain from that governor a "certificate of call." They also would carry a "letter of introduction" from each governor visited to the next governor on the itinerary. And they would collect newspaper articles from local publications covering their progress along the trail.

In addition to the obvious novelty of George’s scheme, their three-year trek would demonstrate the quality of horses bred in the Pacific Northwest. George asserted (promotional poster):

"An object of the enterprise is to bring one or more of the original starting horses through the entire journey within the given time. This will accomplish the greatest traveling feat ever known to the history of horse flesh—in consideration of the changes in climate, feed, and water, the conditions of the barns and roads, and the hardships of a ride of this nature."

George’s prime candidate for this achievement was "Pinto"—a six-year-old paint horse of mixed Morgan and Arabian stock. This "Morab" stood 15 hands high, weighed about 900 pounds, and began the trip as the crew’s only pack horse....

-from Chapter 9: The "Overland Westerners:" Epic Tourists in a Time Warp