Dallas Courier Company: Thank you, Squanto!
Posted by Aynsley Kindig on Tue, Nov 23, 2010 @ 10:30 AM
As a
Dallas Courier company that admittedly loves history, we wanted to write a tribute blog to one of the most famous Native Americans, Squanto! Thanksgiving is all about being thankful, and frankly, we all are greatly indebted to the man known as Squanto. Read on to find out why our
fast Dallas couriers are thankful for this important historical figure!
Squanto is the name we know him by, but his name is really Tisquantum. He belonged to the tribe, Patuxet which eventually came to the Pilgrims’ aid when they were in desperate need after their first horrific winter in the New World.
Squanto’s first introduction to the world stage begins in a tragic way. He was captured by Captain Thomas Hunt along with others from his tribe. Stored in the hull of Hunt’s ship, Squanto was taken to Malaga, Spain where Hunt sold as many of the captured Native Americans as possible. Luckily, some local friars found Hunt’s stealing to be immoral. They took the men and taught them about Christianity.
Through a series of events, Squanto went from Malaga to England to Newfoundland. Not surprisingly, Squanto began to learn English from all of his ventures. In Newfoundland, Squanto met Captain Thomas Dermer, a man who immediately recognized the benefit Squanto would provide him. He was about to travel to America to make peace with the Native Americans (who were angry, rightly so, over their people being captured). Dermer thought Squanto would make the perfect ally in his travels. In 1619, Dermer and Squanto headed to the New World.
Upon arrival, Squanto tragically learned that most of his tribe was dead. He ended up living with another tribe, the Wampanoag. Then, serendipitously, the Pilgrims arrived in America in 1920. After a harsh winter, nearly half of the Pilgrims died due to lack of food and disease. Their harvest had failed because they did not know how to survive in the American conditions.
Enter: Squanto. He was the man who saved the day! He taught the pilgrims to plant corn, catch fish and eels, and use fertilizer. Squanto revolutionized the way the Pilgrims farmed. He was the reason for the next year’s bountiful harvest and consequently, the first celebration of Thanksgiving.
Even though he died hundreds of years ago, Squanto is someone we should all thank this coming Thursday. As a Dallas courier team, Eagle Express salutes you, Squanto. Thank you for teaching the Pilgrims how to survive on American soil.
For more information, visit www.mayflowerhistory.com
Photo courtesy of www.wikipedia.com