You can imagine the events that preceded the improbable journey.

Perhaps Charles Guetling and a group of friends were throwing back a few in a neighborhood drinking establishment. Perhaps more than a few. And perhaps after they’d all been drinking beer for a while, Guetling felt such a warm regard for Yuengling beer that he wanted more people in the world to know about it.

And maybe that’s when he had his grand idea. Why, he would load a “sextel” of Yuengling beer in his wheelbarrow and tote it from Pottsville to the Chicago World’s Fair. A sextel, about the size of today’s quarter barrel keg, would have weighed about 30 pounds full; Guetling topped the scales at about 155 pounds.

And you can imagine his wife’s response, “You’re going to do what?” Perhaps he just didn’t know what to get her for their 12th wedding anniversary, which occurred the day he left on the trek. According to newspaper accounts from that day, he waved a goodbye to his wife and six children, wheeled across Pottsville’s Centre Street, and embarked on his 880-mile journey.

The family dog, Prince, trotted along with him loyally during that first day. As the pair traveled through those first Coal Region towns, Prince was much admired for his staunch loyalty and devotion to his master. But sometime late in the afternoon Prince gave Guetling the slip, turned around and went back to his family; Guetling struggled on alone.

He had rigged handle straps which passed over his shoulders, with each end wrapping around the end of a wheelbarrow handle. Through the heat of summer, he pushed on.

According to newspaper accounts, he spent his last penny two days before he arrived at the 57th street entrance to the World’s Fair on Aug. 16, 1893.

He soon found his way to the Pennsylvania Building, but no one was there to greet him. Exhausted — reportedly he hadn’t eaten for two days — he collapsed and slept the happy dream of a man who has faced an impossible task, and yet accomplished what he set out to do.

Well, almost. While Guetling slept deeply, some Pennsylvanians arrived at the building. They were thrilled to spot the sextel of beer, so thrilled in fact that they drank it. All of it. The folks at Yuengling were kind enough to send Guetling $25 for his train fare home.