102 brave souls boarded an overcrowded ship bound for an unknown land. They had to leave their home because they would be imprisoned for their religious beliefs.

With supplies almost gone, they finally made landfall after 66 days.The brutal winter and starvation claimed nearly half their lives.

They were encountered by different looking people whose knowledge of the land helped them survive that autumn.

They gathered to share a peaceful and bountiful harvest, a feast we now call the First Thanksgiving.

However, this wasn’t the Turkey and pie dinner we know today. Instead, they likely ate venison, ducks, clams, corn, beans, and berries.

Unfortunately, the natives would eventually be forced from their land by the people they helped save.

In 1920, this postage stamp commemorating the 300th year of the Pilgrim sailing on the Mayflower was issued along with the landing at Plymouth Rock and the formation of their new colony, but there was no commemoration of the natives who helped them survive.

This Thanksgiving, remember the people who helped a group of immigrants even though they were intruding on their land. Our country may not be here if they didn’t.