Kids want to know...
How come St. Augustine is the site of the first Thanksgiving?
As our country gets older, and we become more advanced, we start to learn new details of history that we didn't know before. Records and archeology now show us that St. Augustine (Florida) is the oldest city in the nation. Long before the pilgrims landed here. There have been many places celebrating thanksgiving, but only St. Augustine has remained a permanent settlement since it began. Other sites did not continue to exist. That means when the explorer Menendez landed in the spot that is now St. Augustine he held our nation's first mass of Thanksgiving. And he invited the local people to the thanksgiving feast.
Why did Menendez come to Florida?
It was the age of exploration and European countries were seeking new lands and riches to claim. France had traveled to the Florida area and was trying to settle in the vacinity. Menendez was sent to eradicate the French and to protect the treasure fleet which was being attacked by thieves and pirates.
What is a Spanish galleon?
Of course, there were no planes, trains, or cars so the Spanish built a ship known as a galleon. It was a heavy war ship made out of 2000 oak trees. The galleons were made for war but they were also used for traveling and exploring. A hurricane struck when Menendez first arrived in the area and some of his galleons and men were lost.
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What were the Timucua like?
I could have written a whole book on the Timucua. They were a fascinating people. When Menendez first arrived, they were friendly with the Spanish because they hoped the Spanish would help them fight their enemies. They lived in villages ruled by a chief and could be fierce warriors. They hunted and used the sea as a source of food.
The women wore skirts made of Spanish moss and the men wore their hair on top of their heads in a knot. Here's something most people love. They wore inflated fish bladders in their ears. In the Outina picture by Theodore Morris (Art Gallery), the fish bladders are blue.
How did they catch alligators?
Much of what we know was recorded by the French who had arrived earlier. Accounts said the Timucua stuck long poles down their mouths and flipped them over on their backs so they could pierce the softer underbelly.
If you have ever seen a real live alligator you would know they probably only did that if it was absolutely necessary. Alligators are powerful creatures. If you haven't seen an alligator before, mark off twelve to fifteen feet on the floor and look at how big an alligator can be.
Click Photo to Enlarge
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Did the Spanish find gold and silver?
The Spanish had found rich resources in many of their journeys but St. Augustine was not a fruitful place for them. There wasn't any gold or silver and it was hard to find enough food to eat. The terrain and weather were very difficult and the Spanish did not know how to survive like the Timucua. Remember, the Timucua had been in the area for a thousand years and had learned from experience.
If the French were settling in Florida, how can St. Augustine be the place of the first Thanksgiving?
That's the million dollar question. There have been lots of states claim they had the first Thanksgiving. But all those special events didn't end up being a place that survived (continuously) into modern America. St. Augustine remained a "thriving" and "not so thriving" city all through our history. It has survived through history as the oldest city in the country and because it began with a Thanksgivng meal involving the Spanish and the Timucua, it is historically the nation's real first Thanksgiving too.
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What did they eat at the Thanksgiving meal?
The Spanish loved a dish called Cocido. It was a rich stew made with pork and garbanzo beans. The ships logs show they had the ingredients with them. The Timucua probably added a local dish such as wild turkey, bread made with corn, or maybe something from the sea, or even alligator.
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Menendez Drawing to Color
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