Saturday, December 22, 2018
Tucson: An Ancient and Honorable Pueblo - Post 8
Monday, November 19, 2018
The Real Story of America's Thanksgiving Day
Each year we enjoy republishing our story dealing with America's establishing of Thanksgiving Day. We originally wrote this story for the IN&OUT Magazine of Anthem, Az. in November 2013 and are happy to share it again. We hope you enjoy this great American story. - P.S. Let us suggest that you put a visit to Gettysburg National Military Park on your "must-do" bucket list. If you like American history, you will love Gettysburg. - Linda & Dick
No one knows for sure the exact date in the Fall of 1621 when the newly arrived colonists from England sat with and shared an autumn meal with the Wampanoag Indians in their settlement of Plymouth. That shared, community meal would become known as America's first Thanksgiving Day. Over the following years a few presidents would decree and a few states would hold a random Day of Thanksgiving but it would be 242 years after that first Plymouth gathering before the Thanksgiving Day we know and love today would become an annual, American celebration. It took the fortunes of a terrible civil war, a spunky lady editor who lobbied and pushed the idea of a national day of thanksgiving through the pages of the American Ladies’ Magazine and a beleaguered, war-wary president all coming together in the fall of 1863 to start this great American tradition.
September 1863 began with the forces of the Union Army having completed a summer of great, battlefield victories. The most important of those victories occurred on July 1, 2 and 3 around the small farming community of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. After three days of fighting, best estimates showed that the Union Army and Robert E. Lee’s Army of Virginia suffered together between 45,000 – 51,000 casualties.
Those casualty numbers included 3,155 Union soldiers and an estimated 4,708 Confederate soldiers killed in action. An estimated 1/3 of the Army of Virginia had been wounded, killed or were unaccounted for. Had Lee’s army prevailed at Gettysburg, they would have swept into Washington, DC and overrun the Union capitol. But with the victory at Gettysburg, the Union still stood and Gettysburg would prove to be the turning point of that terrible American war.
September 1863 found President Abraham Lincoln preparing to speak at the soon to be dedicated National Cemetery at Gettysburg. Since the beginning of his presidency in 1860, Sarah Josepha Hale, an influential magazine editor and the author of the nursery rhyme “Mary Had a Little Lamb” had been lobbying President Lincoln to declare an annual national day of thanksgiving.
On September 28. 1863 Ms. Hale once again wrote the president urging him to declare that the “day of our annual Thanksgiving made a National and fixed Union Festival." This time, after the events of the summer of 1863 and the Union Army’s victory at Gettysburg, President Lincoln agreed with Sarah Hall.
On October 3, 1863, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States of America, issued a Proclamation of Thanksgiving to his fellow citizens in every part of the United States “to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.”
Lincoln soon traveled to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on November 19, 1863 and delivered what could arguably be the greatest 263-word speech in the history of mankind – the Gettysburg Address. One week later, on November 26, 1863, on the fourth Thursday of November, President Lincoln, Sarah Hale and the American people across the Union celebrated Thanksgiving Day.
Since November 1863 Americans have paused every year to celebrate Thanksgiving Day on the fourth Thursday of November with the exception of 1939 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt changed the celebration to the third Thursday of November to lengthen the depression era Christmas holiday shopping season. The American people did not like this change and by 1941 President Roosevelt reluctantly signed a congressional bill reestablishing forever more the celebration of Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November.
So as you gather with those that you love this Thanksgiving Day to pause in thanks, remember all those who have come before us to make this day such a special American holiday. It was the colonists of Plymouth and Wampanoag Indians that first gathered, but it was the unrelenting efforts of Sarah Josepha Hale and the proclamation of Abraham Lincoln that engenders us each and ever fourth Thursday of November to celebrate America’s Thanksgiving Day.
Lincoln’s Proclamation of Thanksgiving - http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/thanks.htm
Sarah Josepha Hale - https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/sarah-hale
Sarah Hale’s letter to President Lincoln - http://womenshistory.about.com/od/thanksgiving/a/sarah_hale_letter.htm
Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address - http://history1800s.about.com/od/abrahamlincoln/a/gettysburgadd01.htm
You Tube video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nU8yOHQKhQ
No one knows for sure the exact date in the Fall of 1621 when the newly arrived colonists from England sat with and shared an autumn meal with the Wampanoag Indians in their settlement of Plymouth. That shared, community meal would become known as America's first Thanksgiving Day. Over the following years a few presidents would decree and a few states would hold a random Day of Thanksgiving but it would be 242 years after that first Plymouth gathering before the Thanksgiving Day we know and love today would become an annual, American celebration. It took the fortunes of a terrible civil war, a spunky lady editor who lobbied and pushed the idea of a national day of thanksgiving through the pages of the American Ladies’ Magazine and a beleaguered, war-wary president all coming together in the fall of 1863 to start this great American tradition.
September 1863 began with the forces of the Union Army having completed a summer of great, battlefield victories. The most important of those victories occurred on July 1, 2 and 3 around the small farming community of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. After three days of fighting, best estimates showed that the Union Army and Robert E. Lee’s Army of Virginia suffered together between 45,000 – 51,000 casualties.
Those casualty numbers included 3,155 Union soldiers and an estimated 4,708 Confederate soldiers killed in action. An estimated 1/3 of the Army of Virginia had been wounded, killed or were unaccounted for. Had Lee’s army prevailed at Gettysburg, they would have swept into Washington, DC and overrun the Union capitol. But with the victory at Gettysburg, the Union still stood and Gettysburg would prove to be the turning point of that terrible American war.
September 1863 found President Abraham Lincoln preparing to speak at the soon to be dedicated National Cemetery at Gettysburg. Since the beginning of his presidency in 1860, Sarah Josepha Hale, an influential magazine editor and the author of the nursery rhyme “Mary Had a Little Lamb” had been lobbying President Lincoln to declare an annual national day of thanksgiving.
On September 28. 1863 Ms. Hale once again wrote the president urging him to declare that the “day of our annual Thanksgiving made a National and fixed Union Festival." This time, after the events of the summer of 1863 and the Union Army’s victory at Gettysburg, President Lincoln agreed with Sarah Hall.
On October 3, 1863, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States of America, issued a Proclamation of Thanksgiving to his fellow citizens in every part of the United States “to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.”
Lincoln soon traveled to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on November 19, 1863 and delivered what could arguably be the greatest 263-word speech in the history of mankind – the Gettysburg Address. One week later, on November 26, 1863, on the fourth Thursday of November, President Lincoln, Sarah Hale and the American people across the Union celebrated Thanksgiving Day.
Since November 1863 Americans have paused every year to celebrate Thanksgiving Day on the fourth Thursday of November with the exception of 1939 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt changed the celebration to the third Thursday of November to lengthen the depression era Christmas holiday shopping season. The American people did not like this change and by 1941 President Roosevelt reluctantly signed a congressional bill reestablishing forever more the celebration of Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November.
So as you gather with those that you love this Thanksgiving Day to pause in thanks, remember all those who have come before us to make this day such a special American holiday. It was the colonists of Plymouth and Wampanoag Indians that first gathered, but it was the unrelenting efforts of Sarah Josepha Hale and the proclamation of Abraham Lincoln that engenders us each and ever fourth Thursday of November to celebrate America’s Thanksgiving Day.
Lincoln’s Proclamation of Thanksgiving - http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/thanks.htm
Sarah Josepha Hale - https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/sarah-hale
Sarah Hale’s letter to President Lincoln - http://womenshistory.about.com/od/thanksgiving/a/sarah_hale_letter.htm
Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address - http://history1800s.about.com/od/abrahamlincoln/a/gettysburgadd01.htm
You Tube video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nU8yOHQKhQ
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| Sarah Josepha Hale |
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| Abraham Lincoln |
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| Gettysburg Address |
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| National Cemetery & site of Gettysburg Address Dedication |
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| Union General George Meade |
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| General Robert E. Lee |
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| View of Little and Big Roundtop |
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| Looking down from atop Little Roundtop |
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| Monument marks Confederate High Water Mark of battle |
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| Union view of Pickett's Charge |
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| Union stone wall looking at Pickett's Charge |
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| Gettysburg Monuments |
Friday, October 26, 2018
Teotihuacan - Where Men Become Gods
We just submitted our 120th story for the website LiveScience - https://www.livescience.com/. One of our recent stories dealt with the amazing ancient city in the Valley of Mexico known as Teotihuacan. Here is a link to that story - https://www.livescience.com/63315-photos-teotihuacan-pyramids.html. If you are interested in learning more about the ancient city of Teotihuacan, here a great website from UNESCO - https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/414/ and a few pictures from our visit. Remember, this city was built by people who did not have steel tools nor a domesticated animal bigger than a dog. Their skills were beyond amazing!
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| Quetzalcoatl - The Plumed Serpent |
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| Avenue of the Dead |
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| Temple of Quetzalcoatl |
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| Pyramid of the Moon |
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| Closer view of Pyramid of the Moon |
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| Pyramid of the Sun |
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| Ancient painting |
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| Another view of the Pyramid of the Sun |
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| Looking down the Avenue of the Dead with Pyramid of Sun on the right and Pyramid of the Moon at the far end. |
Wednesday, September 26, 2018
Autumn Comes Again to the Valley of the Sun
Our 2018 Harvest Moon (first full moon nearest the autumnal equinox) is now over and even for those of us who live in the summer heat of the Sonoran Desert, our thoughts turn to the cooler temperatures and magnificent colors of another Arizona autumn. Although the hardwood forest of other parts of the United States may be considered the champions of fall colors, Arizona does have several sensational fall road trips that can take one to some very spectacular autumn landscapes. So, if you are tired of the heat and looking for some wonderful autumn colors in Arizona’s cool north country, let us suggest you check out the following links…
- great overview about Arizona Autumn Colors in the Sept 21, 2018 Arizona Republic - https://www.azcentral.com/story/travel/arizona/road-trips/2018/09/21/where-see-arizona-fall-leaves-2018/1353981002/
-La Posada/Hopi Mesas - two of our favorite locations in Arizona and always lovely to visit - http://laposada.org/ and http://www.experiencehopi.com/
-Sedona & Oak Creek Canyon - Fall is wonderful at these two special destinations - https://www.sedona.net/sedona-fall-colors
-Chiricahua Wilderness - Balance rocks and autumn colors - always a great trip to southern Arizona - http://www.amwest-travel.com/awt_maplecamp.html
Boyce Thompson Arboretum - always love Boyce Thompson - http://www.btarboretum.org/
Nearby Prescott - https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/prescott/home/?cid=FSEPRD594609 and Payson - https://www.paysonrimcountry.com/payson-fall-colors
Get out and enjoy Arizona’s autumn colors - the time is now!!! Here are a few of our favorite autumn pictures we have taken over the years…
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| Leaves of Prescott |
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| San Francisco Peaks, Flagstaff |
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| San Francisco Peaks, Flagstaff |
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| Hart Prairie, Flagstaff |
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| Hart Prairie, Flagstaff |
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| Aspen near Flagstaff |
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| Aspen in White Mountains near Greer |
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| Mt Humphreys, Flagstaff |
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| Autumn at Sunset Crater National Monument |
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| Just love fall sunflowers! |
Sunday, April 29, 2018
Saguaros Are Blooming Again!
It is that time of year when our magnificent saguaro cacti are blooming again. Here are just a few of our first 2018 pictures of Arizona's Sentinels of the Desert!
Here are a few of our favorite saguaro blooms from years past...
Remember, we have placed all of our photos found on this blog into Public Domain so that teachers anywhere in the world can use them in their teaching. We only ask that you give us photo credit - Linda and Dr. Dick Buscher
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| April 25, 2018 A |
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| April 25, 2018 B |
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| April 25, 2018 C |
Here are a few of our favorite saguaro blooms from years past...
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| Notice the drop of saguaro nectar |
Remember, we have placed all of our photos found on this blog into Public Domain so that teachers anywhere in the world can use them in their teaching. We only ask that you give us photo credit - Linda and Dr. Dick Buscher
Monday, January 22, 2018
Arizona Magnificiant Caves
We just published an article on Live Science dealing with Arizona Caves. If you love the idea of "going undeground" then our amazing Arizona could just be your special underground playground as it is truly a treasure of speleological wonders. Speleologists,
scientists who study caves, estimate that over 4,000 caves lie beneath
the ground of Arizona, with some 1,600 Arizona caves already having been
discovered, verified and documented.
Our story, linked here - https://www.livescience.com/61153-photos-arizona-caves.html - deals with four caves that are easy to visit. If you are really interested in going "underground" let us suggest this resource website - http://www.arizonacaves.org/index.htm
Caving can be exhilarating but be careful Here are some good rules to follow...
Caving Tips & Etiquette from the National Speleological Society - http://caves.org/safety/
1. Never go alone into a cave. Always stay with your group.
2. Plan ahead for an emergency. Be sure to have multiple sources of light.
3. Bring the right gear; wear the right clothing.
4. Tell someone where your caving group have gone and when you plan to return home.
5. Stick to the pre-established routes in the cave. Caves are slippery; wear good caving shoes.
6. Wear protective head gear.
7. Leave the cave as you found it. Don’t litter, disturb the cave formations or any wildlife. Don’t cause any damage to the cave.
Our story, linked here - https://www.livescience.com/61153-photos-arizona-caves.html - deals with four caves that are easy to visit. If you are really interested in going "underground" let us suggest this resource website - http://www.arizonacaves.org/index.htm
Caving can be exhilarating but be careful Here are some good rules to follow...
Caving Tips & Etiquette from the National Speleological Society - http://caves.org/safety/
1. Never go alone into a cave. Always stay with your group.
2. Plan ahead for an emergency. Be sure to have multiple sources of light.
3. Bring the right gear; wear the right clothing.
4. Tell someone where your caving group have gone and when you plan to return home.
5. Stick to the pre-established routes in the cave. Caves are slippery; wear good caving shoes.
6. Wear protective head gear.
7. Leave the cave as you found it. Don’t litter, disturb the cave formations or any wildlife. Don’t cause any damage to the cave.
Sunday, January 7, 2018
The Harvey Girls
We just posted a new article about the Harvey Girls on the Live Science website - https://www.livescience.com/. These young ladies played such an important role in the settling of so many towns along the rail lines that ran from the Midwest to California. They became the wives and moms in many of Arizona's rough and tumble early railroad towns like Winslow, Flagstaff, Williams and Ashfork. An amazing and brave group of young ladies - hope you enjoy our article - https://www.livescience.com/61097-harvey-girls-photos.html
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