From the Archives: Thanksgiving at Dartmouth
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Courtesy Of Rauner Archives
Dartmouth students traditionally return home for Thanksgiving, but Moosilauke Ravine lodge has played holiday host to many Dartmouth students over the years.
In 1957, Dartmouth students hosted 40 orphans from the Manchester Children’s Home, St. Peter’s Orphanage in Manchester and the Golden Rule Farm in Tilton, N.H. Organized by the DOC, the two-night Thanksgiving celebration included “a Thanksgiving Day dinner, hikes through the area, and an evening program of singing and entertainment,” according to the N.H. Sunday News.
In 1961, the DOC hosted 40 boys, ages 8-14, at Moosilauke Ravine Lodge. The boys represented all “races, creed and nationalities” and came from churches in East Harlem and the Lower East Side of New York City, according to The Dartmouth. Like the 1957 event, the boys climbed Mt. Moosilauke and planned to “stuff themselves with turkey.”
“For many of the youngsters it is to be their first time away from the city streets, their first glimpse of tree-lined rivers and mountains, their first bus ride and their first turkey dinner,” The Dartmouth reported.
Cabin and Trail hosts a Thanksgiving celebration at Billings Lodge, a six-room cabin at the foot of Mt. Madison in the Presidential Range. Students cook a big Thanksgiving dinner with the help of Cabin and Trail’s “Turkey Fund,” and go on hikes in the region.
On campus in the early 20th century, Dartmouth used to host a Thanksgiving Festival Service in Rollins Chapel on the last Sunday before the fall recess. The festival featured performances by the Glee Club and was hosted by the president of the College. In 1929, “There was a large attendance; there should have been no empty seats at all,” The Dartmouth reported.
Because most people celebrate the holiday at home, there were few Thanksgiving images in the archives. But with the help of the knowledgeable Rauner Library staff, I came across the above image of H.R. Thurston, a member of the class of 1894. He is the second from the left and the photo is from Thanksgiving 1894. It looks like the Thurston family had either a knack for hunting turkeys or invited them to join in the Thanksgiving feast.