This year as we sit down to our Thanksgiving dinner we have a lot to be thankful for. The economy is improving and our soldiers should be returning home soon. Ranking near the top is being a resident of Lake County and being able to enjoy Clear Lake and the surrounding national forest and woodlands. Fishermen and tourists from around the world visit Clear Lake and Lake County to enjoy what we have right at our own front door.
The holiday itself has some interesting facts. The first Thanksgiving was celebrated in the autumn 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 exported to Europe they became just as popular over there as they are in this country.
William Strickland was an English landowner who sailed on early voyages of exploration to the Americas and is credited with introducing turkeys to England. He acquired six turkeys from an American Indian trader and brought them back to England. The birds quickly became popular with the British and were walked to the market in herds. In fact, they wore booties to protect their feet. Eighty percent of the people in Britain 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 with no dark pinfeathers, 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 as 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 each 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 and 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 near 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 above 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 thankful for.