labor was about the best New England
farmers could do.
This region had been glaciated by the
great continental glacier whose last vestiges had melted from the region only
about 10,500 years before the Pilgrims
arrived. The glacier scoured to the bedrock as it scrubbed southward, creating
the north-south valleys of the Hudson,
Neal G.
Connecticut and Merrimack rivers. As
Lineback
the glacier melted, it dropped a thin layer
of glacial drift on top of the scoured bedrock. This drift was made up, not only of
small particles of rock material, but also
erratics, or boulders, plucked from the
bedrock by the glacier as it passed over
Thanksgiving is just around the corsouthern Canada. Varying generally in
ner. During the next few weeks, Amerisize from a few inches to several feet
can kitchens will be stocking up on turacross, these erratics presented major
key, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. In
problems to the Pilgrims’ wooden plows.
elementary schools around the country,
Farmers found that the best use for
however, children will be learning about
erratics was to use them to build fences.
the Pilgrims to whom the Thanksgiving
Today, the numerous stone fences
tradition is attributed.
throughout New England are mute testiMost school pageants celebrating
mony to the rugged environment that
Thanksgiving show the Pilgrims stepping
generations of farmers have attempted to
from a boat onto a large rock known as
overcome.
Plymouth Rock. What was the landscape
It wasn’t until 1744 that the rock
of New England like when
named Plymouth was recogthe Pilgrims arrived at PlyOrigin of Thanksgiving
nized as having possible hismouth on Dec. 21, 1620?
Lake
torical significance. During
After more than two
Champlain
that year, the boulder broke
months at sea, the Mayflower
Maine
in half as it was being dragged
arrived too far north to suit
by horses to another resting
the Pilgrims. The settlers had
place.
Vermont
anticipated a landfall much
New
Of course, the rest of the
farther south, perhaps
Hampshire
n
story
is that Plymouth Rock
a
e
around Chesapeake Bay. AlOc
is an erratic — a piece of granthough the Pilgrims landed
c
ite, probably from Canada,
ti
on Cape Cod in November,
New
n
dropped on the shore of Cape
it was not until Dec. 21 that
York
Cod Bay by a glacier several
the site of Plymouth was chothousand years before. Tosen. Dropped on a wintry
day it rests in a mausoleum
foreign shore with little food,
in Plymouth, Mass. — a brono shelter and a climate
Massachusetts
ken rock glued back together,
F
ro
m Engla n d
much
harsher
than
with 1620 boldly carved on
England’s meant sure death
Plymouth
Provincetown
its side. It serves well as a
for many.
Dec. 21, 1620
Nov. 21, 1620
symbol of Pilgrim spirit and
The English city of Plydetermination in the face of
Connecticut
mouth from which the small
0
60 mi
Rhode
severe hardship. Happy
group of settlers departed
Island
Thanksgiving!
0
60 km
on Sept. 6 has a temperate
And that is Geography
climate compared to that of Geography in the News 11/22/02
in
the
News. November 22,
Source: World Book Encyclopedia, 1986
©2002 maps.com
New England. Seldom does
2002. #651.
the temperate marine cliDuxbury and eight more towns were
mate of southwestern England produce
(Neal Lineback is Geography Professor
started over the next 10 years.
snow or even subfreezing weather. But
at Appalachian State University, Boone, NC.
But there was a footnote to the agrithe typical New England winter is harsh
This article was initially released as “Plycultural problems that the Pilgrims enwith subfreezing temperatures, high
mouth Rock” in 1988 and again in 1995 as
dured. The soils of New England were
winds and frequent and heavy snows.
“Pilgrims’ Progress.” As the most popular
never to be major producers of cash crops.
Half the settlers died that first winter.
article in the GITN series, it is released again
Subsistence agriculture carried on in small
Survivors set about planting crops
with minor modifications.)
plots of land with considerable input of
the following spring. As the story goes,
only after Indians of the Wampanoag tribe
taught the Pilgrims to place fish beneath
the planted seeds, and perhaps shared
some seeds of domesticated American
plants (corn, pumpkins and beans), did
adequate crops begin to grow. Poor agricultural results in the beginning came not
only from poor soil, but also because the
cleared soils of the middle latitude forest
were very acidic. A herring placed beneath seeds allowed plants to draw on the
nutrients released by the decaying carcass. But calcium from the bones and
flesh of the fish also raised the soil pH, or
neutralized the soil acid, and enhanced
the plants’ abilities to utilize the nutrients.
Such lessons in dealing with the soils
of New England were difficult ones. They
often meant the difference between life
and death, particularly under harsh
weather conditions, poor nutrition and
only home remedies. Within three years,
however, the subsistence farming and
fishing of the little colony had become
successful. Within 14 years, the colony
had expanded to form a nearby town of
Geography
in the
News™
A
Hudso
n Ri v
er
Rive r
tl
a
ck
ma
Con n e
i
Me r r
c t ic u t R
iv
er
PILGRIMS’
PROGRESS
© 2002 maps.com