Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1904-11-23

tomorrow is the day prOclallnou
by the president of the United
States as one of general thanks
giving.
The first American Thanksgiving
was a most remarkable one. 1t was
celebrated in Plymouth, Massachu-
setts on Dec. eleventh, 1,621 one
year after the pilgrims had landed
on Plymouth Rock. One hundred
and two persons had landed but
during the year forty-two of them
had died and yet the good Governor
Bradford thought it proper that a
day be set apart for Thanksgiving
and feastlng. The pilgrims had put
out twenty acres of Indian corn and
it had brought them a bountlful
harvest. For this he thought thanks
was due to God and the people all
thought as he did. He sent his men
into the forest for game and a
plentiful supply of meat was
brought. After the service they all
sat down to feast-the sixty white
men and women and Massasoit the
Indian chief Of the neighborhood
and ninety of his tribe.
In the early days of our nation
the Thanksgiving turkey was al
ways wild one shot in the woods
Big, beautiful, brave and wise-the
wild turkey is ideal game for the
strenuous United States. He is big
enough to satisfy some the material
craving of even the big hunter. He
eludes the still hunter as subtly as
the shyest deer. He gives the cross
country rider coursing him with
hound and horse-a run that often
is equal to fox hunting. The wing
shot finds him equal to the occas-
sion. Hei is the finest game bird in
the world. Hunting the wild bird
with hound and horse is sport for
the very select few for not only is
it necessary to find the birds first
but they must be found in open
country where they cannot escape
too readily by flying into cover.
The wild turkey flies and runs alter
nately., He lopes like an ostrich
though not so fast and whenever he
thus takes to running the dogs and
horses gain on him. When they
get unpleasantly close up booms
the big bird and flies swift as an ar
row to a safe distance. West
Virginia and North Carolina still
contain thousands of acres in many
respects as wild as it was before the
white man landed in America and
there and thence on across into
Tennessee the turkey hunter can
still find surprisingly large tracts Of
hunting country where not only
turkeys but deer and bear hide in
the thickets. E
The first presidential proclama-
ton of Thanksgiving day was issued
by Washington on the third day Of
October 1889. He set Thursday
November twenty sixth as the date
in honor of the adoption Of the con-
stitution of the United States. The
second national Thanksgiving day
was also proclaimed by Washington
but was in February of 1890. Subse-
quent presidents called upon the
people of the country to observe
such a day of thanksgiving BUTT
was not until the presidency of
Abraham Lincoln that the OBJ
servance became fixed event and
the last Thursday Of November
was recognized as an annual public
holiday.
Inasmuch as Thanksgiving day
was founded by the pilgrims, who
landed on Plymouth Rock would
it not be more appropriate if we of
today-instead of landing tooth and
claw upon poor turkey should
land also on a Plymouth Rock?
For the past thirty years the tur-
key which has graced the White
House table on Thanksgiving day
has come from westerly Rhode
Island, the gift of Hiram Vose. In
1863 Mr.. Vose sent thirty-six
pound bird to President Grant. It
was received with such favor that
he has continued to supply the
yearly presidential turkey and his
sons after him will keep on sending
turkeys to Washington as long as
the race holds out.