Our modern holiday travel to see family and friends can provide a helpful starting point for looking at Thanksgiving history. The days surrounding Thanksgiving can be some of the busiest travel days of the year, by airplane, car, and other forms of transportation.

In its 2025 Thanksgiving travel forecast, AAA projected that about 81.8 million people in the U.S. may journey at least 50 miles from home between Tuesday, November 25, and Monday, December 1—a potential all-time record for the holiday period. Nearly 73 million of those travelers were projected to travel by car, 6 million by air, and almost 2.5 million by bus, train, or cruise ship. These numbers highlight just how much Thanksgiving remains in American life.

As travelers crisscross the country to see family and friends, some may reflect on why this holiday matters. Understanding Thanksgiving history—what was actually celebrated in the 1600s, how the tradition evolved, and how it became a national holiday—can add depth to the long weekend. From early Native American harvest ceremonies to presidential proclamations and modern parades, Thanksgiving history is a story of gratitude, hardship, change, and faithfulness over time.

Early Roots of Thanksgiving History before Plymouth

Before English and European settlers arrived, Native peoples across what is now the United States held ceremonies to give thanks for the harvest and for the natural world. The Smithsonian notes that Indigenous communities, such as the Cherokees, used dances and rituals like the Green Corn Dance to seek a good harvest and express gratitude. These ceremonies can be viewed as an important part of Thanksgiving history because they show that days of thanks have been deeply rooted in North America.

European settlers also brought their own traditions of thanksgiving services. According to Smithsonian, the first known European thanksgiving service in North America was held on May 27, 1578, in Newfoundland, with earlier church-type services perhaps conducted by Spaniards in (La) Florida.

In British New England, colonists at the Popham Colony in Maine may have held a thanksgiving service in 1607. Jamestown colonists also offered thanks in 1607 for their safe arrival and held another service in 1610 when a supply ship reached the settlement after a rough winter. Further south in Virginia, settlers at Berkley Hundred followed their charter for a time, to mark the anniversary of their arrival with a yearly thanksgiving service.

These ceremonies may have been different from the modern holiday, but they show that Thanksgiving history includes a variety of observances, both Native and European, that preceded the famous Plymouth gathering.

The 1621 Plymouth Feast Often Called the “First Thanksgiving”

When many Americans think of Thanksgiving history, they may think of the 1621 feast in Plymouth. While it was not the first act of giving thanks on this continent, it has become one of the best-known events in Thanksgiving history.

National Geographic Kids explains that the area of southeastern Massachusetts and eastern Rhode Island, where the 1621 celebration took place, had been home to the Wampanoag people for more than 12,000 years. The Wampanoag had fished, hunted, and farmed there for generations. In 1620, English settlers—Puritans often called “Pilgrims”—crossed the Atlantic on the Mayflower seeking a place to practice their religion and build new lives. After a difficult voyage, they landed near Cape Cod and eventually founded Plymouth Colony.

The relationship between the settlers and local Native people was initially fragile. Samoset, a leader of the Abenaki people, and Tisquantum (Squanto), a Wampanoag who spoke English, visited the colonists and Squanto later helped them grow corn, use fish as fertilizer, and navigate their new environment. A formal agreement created a mutual defense alliance between the settlers and the Wampanoag in March 1621.

That autumn, after the colonists’ first corn harvest succeeded, Governor William Bradford organized a celebration and invited Wampanoag leader Massasoit and other allies (History.com). National Geographic Kids describes how four English settlers went out to hunt for the feast, and when the Wampanoag heard gunfire, they came to investigate, concerned about possible conflict. Instead, they joined the celebration. Massasoit and about 90 Wampanoag men contributed deer to the meal, and for three days, Native Americans and colonists ate together, played games, sang, and danced.

The General Society of Mayflower Descendants cites a 1621 letter from Edward Winslow as a primary source for this event. Winslow described how four men went “on fowling,” returning with enough birds to feed the settlement for nearly a week. He wrote that many Indigenous guests, including “their greatest king Massasoit,” joined them, and that the Wampanoag party brought five deer as gifts. Although contemporaries did not single this gathering out as a special “Thanksgiving” at the time, later generations came to see it as a foundational moment in Thanksgiving history.

The 1623 Religious Thanksgiving at Plymouth

While the 1621 event was a harvest celebration with feasting and games, later observers have pointed to a different date in Thanksgiving history as the first clearly religious Thanksgiving in Plymouth.

In 1623, two years after the harvest feast, Plymouth suffered a two-month drought that threatened the colony’s crops. The settlers responded with a day of prayer and fasting, asking for relief. Rain came a few days later, and Captain Miles Standish arrived with supplies along with news that a Dutch supply ship was coming. The settlers held a day of thanksgiving to honor what they saw as divine intervention. (National Geographic Kids and Smithsonian)

This 1623 gathering, which combined prayer with a communal celebration, may have been an important step toward the type of religious-and-social observance that later shaped our modern holiday (Smithsonian).

History.com echoes this description, explaining that Pilgrims held a second thanksgiving event in 1623 to mark the end of a long drought and following a period of fasting called by Governor Bradford. For many historians, this moment is a key turning point in Thanksgiving history because it included religious gratitude with celebration.

What Was on the Table? Foods of the 1621 Feast

Another important part of Thanksgiving history involves what the participants may have really eaten at the feast. MayflowerHistory.com notes that only two contemporary sources describe what colonists ate in 1621: Edward Winslow’s letter and William Bradford’s later history. Based on these sources and knowledge of the local environment, MayflowerHistory.com suggests that the meal likely included:

• Deer (venison) and various waterfowl and wild turkeys
• Fish such as cod and bass
• Grains like wheat, barley, and corn
• Clams, mussels, lobster, and eel
• Acorns, walnuts, and chestnuts
• Squashes and beans
• Wild fruits and berries including grapes, strawberries, raspberries, and gooseberries

Colonists also may have used small kitchen gardens to grow vegetables such as onions, leeks, lettuce, carrots, radishes, and various greens and seasonings. Supplies brought over on the Mayflower—like cheese, sugar, spices, or beer—were likely scarce by the time of the feast. History.com adds that colonists lacked ovens and had limited sugar in 1621, making it unlikely that pies or sweet desserts appeared on the table.

Taken together, these sources show that the foods of early Thanksgiving history were built around regional game, seafood, and simple grains rather than the pies and casseroles often associated with the modern holiday.

From Local Observances to a National Holiday

Thanksgiving history between the 1600s and 1800s is marked by a gradual shift from occasional local days of thanksgiving to a nationwide observance.

The Smithsonian notes that colonial thanksgivings were called on a local basis for more than 150 years, often to mark good harvests and other blessings. History.com explains that during the American Revolution, the Continental Congress proclaimed occasional days of thanksgiving, and in 1789, President George Washington issued the first national Thanksgiving proclamation, asking Americans to give thanks for the successful conclusion of the war for independence and the ratification of the Constitution.

However, there was still no regular, nationwide Thanksgiving Day. History.com notes that presidents John Adams and James Madison designated days of thanks, while Thomas Jefferson declined to do so on church-state grounds. In 1817, New York became the first state to adopt an annual Thanksgiving holiday, and other states followed, but they observed the day on different dates.

A key figure in Thanksgiving history is Sarah Josepha Hale. Smithsonian and History.com both describe how Hale, editor of a popular women’s magazine, launched a decades-long campaign starting in 1827 to establish a national Thanksgiving holiday. She used editorials, fiction, recipes, plus letters to politicians to promote the idea of a unifying national day of thanks.

In 1863, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln responded to Hale’s efforts. History.com notes that Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held on the last Thursday in November, urging Americans to give thanks and ask for healing in the midst of conflict. This proclamation effectively created an annual national Thanksgiving, and presidents continued to follow this pattern in the years that followed.

In the 20th century, the date of the holiday shifted again. In 1939 and 1940, President Franklin D. Roosevelt moved Thanksgiving to the third Thursday in November to lengthen the shopping season before Christmas, a decision that proved controversial. Finally, in 1941, Congress passed a joint resolution that was signed by the president, making Thanksgiving a national holiday fixed on the fourth Thursday in November, a key milestone in modern Thanksgiving history. (History.com and Smithsonian)

A Timeline of Key Moments in Thanksgiving History

The General Society of Mayflower Descendants provides a timeline that highlights several important dates in Thanksgiving history. The following timeline is based on the society’s timeline:

• 1621 – A three-day harvest celebration is held in Plymouth, recorded in Edward Winslow’s letter and later remembered as the “First Thanksgiving.”
• 1789 – President George Washington proclaims the first national day of Thanksgiving.
• 1827 – Sarah Josepha Hale begins her campaign to have Thanksgiving recognized as an annual national holiday that includes an established date.
• 1863 – President Abraham Lincoln proclaims a national Thanksgiving on the last Thursday of November, creating an annual tradition.
• 1864 – A large effort led by the Union League of New York sends Thanksgiving dinners to Union troops, helping spread the mostly New England holiday across the country.
• 1876 – The Intercollegiate Football Association holds a Thanksgiving Day football game between Yale and the College of New Jersey (Princeton), helping link football to Thanksgiving traditions.
• 1920 – Department stores in Philadelphia organize one of the first large Thanksgiving Day parades, inspiring parades in other cities.
• 1941 – Thanksgiving is formally recognized as a federal holiday to be celebrated every year on the fourth Thursday of November.
• 1970 – The first “Day of Mourning” is held in Plymouth, Massachusetts, organized by the United American Indians of New England to draw attention to past and ongoing oppression of Indigenous peoples.
• 2021 – The 400th anniversary of the 1621 Plymouth harvest celebration is observed, marking four centuries of evolving Thanksgiving history.

This brief timeline of Thanksgiving history shows how a local harvest celebration has grown to a national holiday.

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Thanksgiving History and Modern Travel: Resting at Lakeside Motel & Resort

Today, the legacy of Thanksgiving history is visible not only in family gatherings and football games, but also in the enormous movement of people across the country. The AAA forecast for 2025—enormous numbers of car trips and flights with heavy traffic on peak days—demonstrates how important travel has become to the holiday. For many travelers, including those heading through the American West and Northwest, the journey itself is an integral part of the Thanksgiving experience.

For guests traveling through northwest Montana during the Thanksgiving holiday, Lakeside Motel & Resort offers a place to pause during the busy travel that is now an essential part of modern Thanksgiving history. Lakeside provides traditional motel rooms as well as standalone cabins, giving options for solo travelers, couples, and larger family groups. All cabins include fully equipped kitchens, allowing guests to prepare some or all of their meals.

The resort’s grounds face Noxon Reservoir, offering an outdoor setting where guests can step away from crowded highways, walk, “stretch their legs,” and enjoy the scenery. It can be meaningful to stand overlooking the water, breathe the crisp Montana air, and take a quiet moment.

Lakeside also has a convenient on-site restaurant that can serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It can serve as a place to relax and enjoy a hot meal without additional effort. The restaurant provides an easy way to spend time together, echoing the family and community meals that have been central to Thanksgiving history.

Whether guests are crossing multiple states to see family, turning their Thanksgiving break into a mountain getaway, or simply passing through, Lakeside Motel & Resort can serve as a comfortable resting place. Against the backdrop of a holiday shaped by Native traditions, colonial harvest celebrations, presidential proclamations, and modern travel, a quiet stay beside Noxon Reservoir offers a chance to make new memories that become part of each traveler’s own Thanksgiving history.

Sources:
Diaz, Aixa (AAA). “Nearly 82 Million Americans Projected to Travel over Thanksgiving.” newsroom.aaa.com. 17 November 2025 (Published). https://newsroom.aaa.com/2025/11/aaa-thanksgiving-travel-forecast-2025/.
General Society of Mayflower Descendants. “Thanksgiving History.” themayflowersociety.org. 20 November 2025 (Accessed). https://themayflowersociety.org/learn/thanksgiving-history/.
History.com Editors. “Thanksgiving 2025.” history.com. 13 November 2025 (Last Updated). https://www.history.com/articles/history-of-thanksgiving.
MayflowerHistory.com. “Brief History of Thanksgiving.” mayflowerhistory.com. 20 November 2025 (Accessed). https://mayflowerhistory.com/thanksgiving.
National Geographic Kids. “The First Thanksgiving: Native Americans and early settlers gave thanks together with this historic feast.” kids.nationalgeographic.com. 20 November 2025 (Accessed). https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/first-thanksgiving.
Smithsonian. “Thanksgiving: From Local Harvests to National Holiday.” si.edu. 20 November 2025 (Accessed). https://www.si.edu/spotlight/thanksgiving/history.