The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1912-11-28
A Number OF Historical Facts About
The Popular Thanksgiving Dinner

The center of the turkey producing
industry Is not far from the center of
the population of the continental Unit
ed States, near Bloomington, Ill. Hotel
restaurant, club and steamboat bills of
fare would make it appear that most
turkeys come from Vermont.
The principal achievements of tur-
key raisers within five years have
been remarkable general improve
ment in stock that has eliminated the
run down breeds once common, east,
west and south, and a tremendous ex-
pansion of the industry by which the
nation has today the largest number of
prime turkeys, reckoned upon the basis
of the country's population. ever re-
corded. AS beef, mutton and pork be-
gan to mount to very high prices five
to six years ago railroad and steam
boat operators and others interested
in getting good loads of way freight
began to take a deep interest in get
ting in the work of the farmers socie-
ties for stimulating poultry produc-
ton. Then the landlords and restau-
rant and boarding house keepers be-
gan to feature turkey as A special
Sunday and holiday dish instead of
roast beef or lamb, and largely ex-
tended the season for serving turkey.
In those days plenty of wild turkeys
were found in woods, and many organi
cations of volunteer firemen and me-
chanics made up as target shooting
companies spent Thanksgiving Day
blazing away in the woods at turkeys
or in shooting turkeys for prizes in
the stable yards of inns in and near
this city. In those days tens of thous-
ands of turkeys were ratified for on
Thanksgiving eve and the winners had
the birds cooked the next morning in
the brick ovens of bake shops after
the manner in which to this day peo-
pie in New England take a pot of par
boiled beans to a bakeshop on Satur-
day night, receive a check therefor
and on Sunday morning present it and
get steaming pot of pork and beans.
| buying at the same time loaf Of
brown bread.
Noted Turkey Hunters.
When Louis Napoleon was a guest
of the Stevens family at Hoboken he
shot wild turkeys in parts of Hudson
county now occupied by the western
part of Jersey City. On one occasion
he accidentally shot a cow and was
arrested and fined $40. AS Emperor,
Napoleon III. had a system Of getting
regular supplies of turkeys, wild ducks
celery, cranberries, oysters and pre-
served peaches from the purveyors to
the Stevens family.
King Edward VII, travelling here in
| 1860 under the name of Baron Rem
frew, conceived a liking for roasted
turkey with oyster and chestnut dress
ing and with cranberry sauce and for
Albemarle pippins and Baldwin ap-
pies. In after years, when he came
into possession Of Sandringham, he
caused arrangements to be made by
his steward where under those delica-
cies were forwarded from this port at
regular times.
Spread Eagle" a young turkey, split
and broiled over a hot wood fire and
served with sauce of chopped oys-
tiers, crabs, wild cherries and apples
mixed with old brandy and Madeira
wine, dish popular among clubmen
and army and navy officers, was first
brought out by shipping merchant of
frim fifty to seventy years ago-Jerry
Weinberg. He was the inventor of lob.
ster a Ia Weinberg, which became af-
terward known as lobster a Ia New