“Then, just at one, the full thanksgiving feast,
Rich with the bounties of the closing year,
Is spread; and, from the greatest to the least,
All crowd the table, and enjoy the cheer.
The list of dainties will not now appear;
Save one I cannot pass unheeded by,
One dish, already to the muses dear,
One dish, that wakens memory’s longing sigh –
The genuine far famed Yankee pumpkin pie.”
– Sophia Robbins Little (1828)
Early Thanksgiving Day celebrations made their way to Michigan from New England. Over the centuries, traditions (and myths) from early Puritan history, rites of religious worship, and proclamations by a civic authority have blended together to create the holiday we enjoy today.
This year, Michigan celebrates the 200th anniversary of the first Thanksgiving Day proclamation by our governor. In 1824, territorial governor Lewis Cass became the first Midwestern politician to declare a “day of Public thanksgiving and prayer.” Set for Thursday, November 25, he noted, “And I do hereby recommend to the Citizens of the said Territory that they strictly observe the same, and they abstain from all employments, inconsistent with the solemnities of a day devoted to the publick acknowledgement of the favours of Almighty God…” Affixed to the original proclamation was the Great Seal of the Territory of Michigan, used before Michigan’s current seal was adopted in 1835. Featuring a tree at center, the Latin phrase at bottom translates “at last the shoot becomes a tree.” Michigan eventually achieved statehood in 1837.
Pumpkin Pie at Mission House
Reverend William M. Ferry and his wife Amanda established a Protestant mission on Mackinac Island in October 1823. Both natives of Massachusetts, their letters home provide a firsthand glimpse of life on Mackinac Island between 1823–1835. Amanda’s sister, Hannah White, painted the creative view of Mackinac Island shown above during a visit in the early 1830s. Thanksgiving was observed at the mission throughout its 15-year history, with worship services and special meals denoting the special occasion.
The first building constructed at the Mackinaw Mission was a large residence and school for Native American and Métis children. Called Mission House, the building included dormitories for students, classrooms, and housing for employees, including Rev. Ferry’s family. Located on the southeast corner of the island, the complex came to include a church, outbuildings, and a large vegetable garden. A small farm was also maintained elsewhere on Mackinac Island with additional produce raised on nearby Bois Blanc Island, where firewood was also obtained.
On November 24, 1831, Amanda Ferry penned the following in a letter to her sister:
“Our Thanksgiving Day … I am sure you will like to know a little about us. In the first place we are all in health, to come around the tables. We were feasted with a cup of tea, and a dish of stewed chickens. The children had fresh fish and potatoes. Mr. Heydenburk had killed a pig the day before, which furnished us all with supper, together with potatoes and turnips, and pumpkin pie, made without eggs or milk. We had good appetites and we enjoyed the good things the Lord had provided for us, as surely as those upon whose tables the bounties of Providence were provided in variety and rich profusion.
Navigation here closed rather unexpectedly but we shall not suffer … Our flour, in part is secured. We have a supply of pork, no beef, no butter, excepting what we have made, no fruits, fresh or dried, and we do not kill any meats this winter. Fishing was good this fall, and we design to furnish ourselves with fresh fish by the nets, with the assistance of our boys … By the way, Mr. Dingley gave Mr. Ferry a pair of beautiful winter gloves, and a new cloak. He gave me a barrel of apples and some beautiful sea shells.”
When ship navigation closed for the season, Mackinac Island residents were almost entirely cut off from the outside world. Ideally, mail arrived from Detroit by dogsled about once per month through winter. These deliveries mainly consisted of personal letters, with supplies delayed until spring. Early Thanksgiving services at Mackinac surely expressed gratitude for local garden produce which provided sustenance through the long cold months ahead.
If Amanda Ferry owned a copy of The Frugal Housewife (1830), she may have used the recipe at left to make pies at the Mission House – if only she had eggs and milk to spare! As we gather this Thanksgiving, may we be grateful for a bountiful harvest, the natural wonders around us, and family and friends to share them with.
To learn more about the life at Mackinac in the 1830s, join us on June 12, 2025 for a Mackinaw Mission Walking Tour. For more details visit: www.mackinacparks.com/event/mackinaw-mission-walking-tour
