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Thanksgiving:
Sea to Shining Sea, continued |
As the 19th century drew to a close,
popular imagination was caught by life in the North and West. Just as New Englanders had brought Thanksgiving to the
Midwest and South before the Civil War, so now Thanksgiving was brought to the newest and last
American frontiers.
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United States of America had purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867
for $7,200,000. In 1868, 70 U.S. military, under the command of
First Lieutenant John McGilvray, established the first
American fort in Alaska. |
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| The elements depicted in
"Frontier Thanksgivings" mirror the elements of the
quintessential New England Thanksgiving: |
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A special celebratory meal |
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1888 “With the
Cowboys – Preparing for Thanksgiving: Making Pies.” |
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and a gathering of family and
friends, giving thanks for the bounty of the year. |
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From
The Youth’s Companion November 5, 1925
“The pioneer, following the long trail into the west, carried
with him the tradition and the observance of Thanksgiving.
Here in the wilderness, his new home still half-built, he
gathered his family to prayer and feasting in the sight of the God
in whom he trusted.”
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Artists such as Frederic Remington,
who - as the frontier closed - created a mythic and heroic image of
the cowboy, found inspiration in the Western Thanksgiving.
Click HERE for
Frederic Remington's Thanksgiving image. |
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