Thanksgiving is one my favorite holidays. Unlike Christmas when one tends to deplete their savings buying presents, Thanksgiving is more of a get-together of family and friends, a time to reflect on how lucky we are.
Being a resident of Lake County and being able to enjoy Clear Lake and the surrounding national forest and woodlands ranks right up at the top of things to be grateful for. This was brought home to me during a recent bass tournament. Fishermen came to Clear Lake from hundreds of miles away to enjoy what we have just a mile or two from our doorsteps.
The holiday itself holds some interesting facts. The first Thanksgiving was celebrated in December of 1621 when the first settlers at Plymouth, Massachusetts, held a three-day feast to celebrate a rich harvest. Thanksgiving became a national holiday in 1863. We are not sure if turkeys were a part of the first Thanksgiving meal but they probably were because they were a staple for the early European settlers.
Wild turkeys are a purely American bird. They are native only to North America and Mexico. After being imported to Europe in 1526 they have become just as popular over there as they are in this country. William Strickland brought the first turkeys to Britain. He acquired six turkeys from American Indian traders and sold them. In England, 200 years ago, turkeys were walked to the market in herds. They wore booties to protect their feet. In Britain, 87 percent of people dine on turkeys during the Christmas holidays.
The largest domestic turkey ever recorded weighed 86 pounds. It was raised in England and named “Tyson.” Can you imagine finding an oven large enough to cook an 86-pound turkey? The largest wild turkey weighed 37 pounds and came from Oregon. A domesticated turkey can reach 30 pounds within 18 weeks after hatching. In fact, the typical domestic turkey bears little resemblance to its wild forefathers. They are so huge that many can”t stand or walk without falling over.
Just about all domestic turkeys are white while their wild cousins are bronze. Domestic turkeys had their genes altered so their white feathers resulted in a clean white breast when picked, which made them more attractive in the supermarkets.
Whereas a wild turkey can fly at speeds up to 50 mph, most domestic turkeys can”t fly at all. Wild turkeys can also run as fast as 25 mph. Today there are wild turkeys in every state except Alaska. Wild turkeys aren”t native to California but were introduced for hunting in 1936. However, the state is in the top 10 in producing domesticated turkeys. Minnesota ranks No. 1 and produces approximately 50 million turkeys a year.
A person who enjoys eating turkeys is called a “dindonphile,” which means turkey lover. Since 1947, the National Turkey Federation has presented a live turkey and two dressed turkeys to the President on Thanksgiving. The President does not eat the live turkey. He “pardons” it and allows it to live out its days on a historical farm.
Everyone has a favorite Thanksgiving story and mine occurred in 1959. I was in the Air Force and stationed at a small, remote radar station in Maine. I was married with a young daughter. The Air Force had lost all my pay records and I hadn”t been paid in more than two months. Several other airmen were in the same fix as I was. As the holiday approached I had only $20 to my name and we had planned on eating hamburger for our Thanksgiving Day dinner.
That morning I decided to go duck hunting on a local river in hopes of bagging a duck or two for dinner. I set out a few decoys and sat in my small boat. Not a duck was flying and I was getting more despondent by the minute. All of a sudden I heard some Canada geese honking down the river from me and then out of the mist came two large geese flying low over the river. They saw my decoys and set their wings and came right in. I shot twice and the two geese fell into the decoys. I gathered up the birds and the decoys and headed home. I invited two of the other airmen who also hadn”t been paid and we had roast goose for Thanksgiving dinner. Nothing ever tasted as good. We all had a lot to be thankful for.
