The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1899-11-30
Thanksgiving Day in Early Colonial Times

giving Day commenced with the gath
ering of their first crops by the Pilgrim
fathers, in what was then the New
England wilderness, and the day has
always remained the principal holiday
with us, sturdy pioneers having carried
the good custom along with them into
every State of the Union.
With the gathering of the crops of
the year 1923, the second harvest after
their arrival, the day gained especial
significance from the fact that long
period of drought had threatened the
colonists with famine, which was for
tunately averted just as ii In response
to their prayers, by the coming ofrain,
and the custom of holding thanks
giving annually after harvest was
thereafter most solemnly observed.
The American Thanksgiving Day is
really, therefore, Of Puritan origin, and
on that account, perhaps, has always
held its own as a great national holi-
day, more strongly in the Eastern
States, if possible, than anywhere, the
subsequent feast of Christmas never
having been regarded as of equal i'm
portance.
The pivotal point which that
Thanksgiving Day celebrated two
hundred and seventy-six years ago oc-
cuples to one of our great national N.
sututions, therefore, makes the details
of that event of tine very highest in
terest to all Americans.
1t was William Bradford, the first
Governor of the New England colon
les, who had the honor of initiating
the custom now followed by our Presi-
dents by issuing the first Thanksgiving
proclamation.
Looking back across almost three
centuries 10 that time when those
stout arted wanderers, who were
then unaware OF what Canaan they
had found, and who had been fearing
the worst on account of the adverse
weather, stood rejoicing over their
sudden deliverance from famine, one
cannot fail to be touched by the pathos
OF their situation and thrilled with the
gladness which caused them to offer
up their praise and thanks for the
mercy vouchsafed by Providence.
There has probably never been a
Thanksgiving Day celebrated since
when the feeling of thankfulness was
SO heartily and gratefully expressed,
The period of one day was absolute,
ly inadequate for the rendering of all
the thanks which the worthy Pilgrims
felt it their duty to offer, SO they made
good half week of it, beginning on
Thursday morning and bringing 1t to
a close botore the dawn of the next
Sabbath.
Honored guests at the celebration
were the Indian chief, Massasoit, and
ninety of his leading warriors.
The issuing of the proclamation by
Governor Bradford had stirred up the
hunters OF the colony to make what
preparations they could for the feast
by ransacking the forest for all the
game which could be found, and the
bags secured by them were such as
would arouse the envy of many a
modern Nlmrod. There were wild
turkeys in abundance, together with
ducks and various kinds of game, with
which the primeval forest abounded.
Massasoit and his warriors brought in
a plentiful supply of oysters to swell
the feast. The bill of fare which re-
suited from the united effort of the
hunters and the good Puritan house
wives, was one with which any but the
most exacting epicure might have
been satisfied. The entrees consisted
of oysters, venison pasties, savory
meat stews, broiled fish, clam chow
der, flour dumplings and roasts of all
kinds, This was followed by the
piece de resistance, which has ever
thereafter renamed the principal feat
ure of the Thanksgiving dinner-roast
turkey-with which the cooks served a
dressing of beech nuts, and numerous
vegetables and salads Cakes and
plum porridge lent the finishing touch
es to the course, and it may be safely
assumed that there was no one who
left the first Thanksgiving dinner
table hungry.
The biggest banquet of all was
given on Saturday to wind up the cele-
bration, and as the weather was ex-
tremely mild the tables were set out
in the forest and an al fresco feast en-
joyed which furnished the Indian
guests with an exalted idea of the gas
tronomic accomplishments of their
new friends. The celebration was
wound up, as it was commenced, with
a service of praise and prayer which
also greatly impressed the Indian
visitors.