The Arvada enterprise., 1923-11-29

At Plymouth Rock nowadays stands un heroic
statue Of Massasoit. head chief Of all the Indian
tribes between Cape Cod and Narragansett bay.
Incidentally he was a good friend and ally Of the
Pgrims but he deserves the statue II only for the
fact that he introduced them to the wild turkey
ana the pumpkin. It seems to be taken for granted
that r0nst turkey. cranberry sauce, succOtash and
pumpkin pie were served at that first Thanksgiv
ing dinner In 1921 when the Pilgrims celebrated
the gathering Of their first harvest. Probably they
were. Anyway, the woods were full Of turkeys and
the Indians had evolved an agricultural scheme
that was as simple as 1t was efficient. They plant
Cd corn In rows and beans In the same hills to
climb up the cornstalks and pumpkins between the
rows to shade the ground and keep down the
weeds-and all cultivated with hoeingl
The wild turkey, alas has travelled far on the
way OF the great buffalo herds that once covered
the plains and OF the vast focks Of passenger
pigeons that once darkened the skies. But the
tame turkey has come to take his place and has
marched across the continent with the American
people. He has done that in more senses than
one. inasmuch a. he has practically abandoned
New England and the Middle states for the West
and the Southwest.
Why our Thanksgiving bird should be called
turkey Is one Of the mysteries. He originated
here. America gave him to the world. He ls our
own bird-"made In America" And Of all the do
nestle birds about our farms and poultry yards the
turkey Is the only one that In strictly our
When the European reached the Western Hem
isphere he found turkeys plentiful in Central
America, Mexico. the United States and Canada
The southern birds were smaller and darker than
those OF the north. In Mexico there were both
wild and tame turkeys, the natives raising the lat
ter for food on m extensive scale.
Record OF the date OF the appearance Of me nrst
turkeys in Europe Is missing. but the early Span.
lsh explorers took back birds to Spain. From
there they quickly spread to France and England
The American turkey was n good thing and Eu
rope quick TO recognize II. BY the end Of
the Seventeenth century they were very generally
bred throughout Europe.
The Wild turkey Of the United States Il q mag.
nincent bird Originally he was N numerous a.
the beaver or the deer-literally uncountable For
Il long time they were plentiful. They learned the
way OF the hunter early and developed a cunning
often more than match for that Of the man with
gun. Within the experience OF living men Nchi-
gan. for instance. was 20 full OF them that man
walking through the forests from Detroit to 81
Joe was never out Of sight OF the hocks hurryipr
Of through the trees. Then they seemed to dis
appear all at once all over the country Civilisa.
ton and settlement probably had as much to do
with Il a. the shotgun Md rifle. Civilization in.
svitably drives out wild life, where wild life
70 protected by law. Clearance Of timberlnnd drnin.
Ing " swamps. cultivation Of open country d.
prived the turkey Of bis natural habitat Now
place wild enough to afford refuge to the tprkay
II wilderness indeed.
The tame turkey Of the United States u N In
divtduai sort Of bird with ways and notions Of BIZ
own This makes him . hard bird to raise sad