Celebrate Turkey Day

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today, I’m thankful for my many blessings, like family, friends, fun, and food. On Thanksgiving Day, my family has been known to gobble up non-traditional foods like build-your-own tacos, homemade pizza or movie theater popcorn.

But what about turkey?

Wild Turkey¹L. Prang & Co., Copyright Claimant. Wild Turkey. , 1872. [Place not identified: Publisher not identified] Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2003664026/.

Turkey Tale

When sorting through my sources for last week’s November Nuptials post, I re-discovered this 1904 story from the LaMoure Chronicle.²LaMoure (ND) Chronicle. November 25, 1904. Brand & Suemper was the Meat Market where Ed Gentzkow worked. Was Ed Gentzkow working at Brand & Suemper during this incident?³It is unknown exactly when Ed starting working in LaMoure. The LaMoure (ND) Chronicle reported on August 11, 1905 that “Benj. Gentzkow, of Minneiska, Minn., a brother of Ed. Gentzkow, who is employed in the meat market of Brand & Suemper, arrived in LaMoure Monday and will probably remain for the summer.” Therefore, Ed was employed at the City Meat Market before August 11, 1905.

“On behalf of Brand & Suemper The Chronicle advertised for tons of poultry, and the ad did the business – as usual.

One man brought in a double deck wagon box crammed full of turkeys, and many others nearly equaled that delivery.  A rather amusing incident – or accident – occurred Saturday morning.  A farmer was unloading live turkeys in front of the meat market and one of the Thanksgiving birds managed to escape.  Fully realizing, no doubt, the grewsome [sic] significance of his transfer from pastoral scenes to the busy marts of trade, the turkey ran literally for dear life, with the farmer and the butcher in hot pursuit.  Finding himself losing ground, the turkey headed for the drug store, and bumped with might and main into one of the big show windows, shattering it into a thousand pieces.

Whether or not Mr. Turkey purposed committing suicide by dashing his brains out, or wished to procure an anesthetic with the hope of rendering painless an operation on his throat, arranged to take place on Monday evening, is not known.  In any case the plan miscarried, for the turkey was finally captured and locked up in death cell No. 13 at the rear of the butcher shop.

Brand & Suemper want more turkeys, but specify that they must be halter-broke and not afraid of the cars.”

The Story Spreads

The Minneapolis (MN) Journal printed this version of the LaMoure Turkey Incident:⁴Minneapolis (MN) Journal. November 30, 1904. Page 20, column 1.

Turkey stepping onto the road, North Saint Paul MN, November 2023.
This one is not afraid of cars.

SOURCES

• 1
  L. Prang & Co., Copyright Claimant. Wild Turkey. , 1872. [Place not identified: Publisher not identified] Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2003664026/.
• 2
  LaMoure (ND) Chronicle. November 25, 1904.
• 3
  It is unknown exactly when Ed starting working in LaMoure. The LaMoure (ND) Chronicle reported on August 11, 1905 that “Benj. Gentzkow, of Minneiska, Minn., a brother of Ed. Gentzkow, who is employed in the meat market of Brand & Suemper, arrived in LaMoure Monday and will probably remain for the summer.” Therefore, Ed was employed at the City Meat Market before August 11, 1905.
• 4
  Minneapolis (MN) Journal. November 30, 1904. Page 20, column 1.