Thanksgiving

A Thanksgiving or family gatherings at the dinner table photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park . I'm not sure whether this found photo shows a Thanksgiving meal, but I like how the fellow on the right is unfurling his napkin as he sizes up the turkey.

Mouse over the top of this real photo postcard to see a close-up of the turkey . "With Thanksgiving seasons greetings." Postmarked: Big Rapids, Mich., Nov. 23 and 24, 1908. Addressed to: Ethel Finnan, 606 S. Mich. Ave., Big Rapids, Mich. Message on back: "Dear Ethel, Your card and letter both received and glad to hear you are prospering. We are very busy these days. All my turkeys to market besides the geese and chickens. I've made two pretty dresses the last two weeks. Tate Pearson came up and stayed while we both made her dress. She and Hoddie called this p.m. Lydia. These cards are our own make. Nov. 22/08."

See also the full version of this real photo postcard. "With Thanksgiving seasons greetings." Postmarked: Big Rapids, Mich., Nov. 23 and 24, 1908. Addressed to: Ethel Finnan, 606 S. Mich. Ave., Big Rapids, Mich. Message on back: "Dear Ethel, Your card and letter both received and glad to hear you are prospering. We are very busy these days. All my turkeys to market besides the geese and chickens. I've made two pretty dresses the last two weeks. Tate Pearson came up and stayed while we both made her dress. She and Hoddie called this p.m. Lydia. These cards are our own make. Nov. 22/08."

Handwritten note on the back of this snapshot: "This is me & my flock of 1921 turkey[s]. Just part of the flock." For more turkey photos, see Day of the Turkeys , Turkeys at the Fry Brothers Turkey Ranch, Trout Run, Pa. , and Thanksgiving Season's Greetings .

Two men, one of whom is holding a child, pose with turkeys.

A turkeys photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. Caption on the front of this real photo postcard: "Fry Bros. Turkey Ranch & Dining Rooms, 20 miles north of Williamsport, Pa., on Route 15. Caulkins, T-14." A restaurant with its own turkey farm, the Fry Brothers Turkey Ranch and Dining Rooms opened for business near Trout Run, Pennsylvania, in 1939. Located along U.S. Route 15 on Steam Valley Mountain, it's situated about 20 miles north of the city of Williamsport and about 100 miles north of Harrisburg, the state capital. The restaurant celebrated its seventy-fifth anniversary in 2014 and is still known today as the Fry Brothers Turkey Ranch . Although the owners serve about 100,000 customers a year, they no longer raise their own turkeys. I stopped at the restaurant in 2006 while traveling north to New York State, and I had a tasty meal of turkey and waffles there. It was so good that I had to stop again for some more turkey and waffles on the way back. For some real photo postcards showing the restaurant in the 1940s or 1950s and some of my own photos from 2006, see my Fry Brothers Turkey Ranch Restaurant album.

Thanksgiving greetings from a wacky turkey with an Uncle Sam head! Posted for the Weird Vintage Postcards group.

I take it that these kids don't care much for turkey since they're thumbing their noses at this one. An odd Thanksgiving greeting posted for the Weird Vintage Postcards group.

The Ghost of Thanksgiving Past floats out of the kettle to haunt the table, only to find that everyone has fled in terror. A frightful holiday scene for the Weird Vintage Postcards group.

...except for the poor turkeys forced to carry their cooked kin upon their backs. A bizarre Thanksgiving greeting posted for the Weird Vintage Postcards group.

"Thanksgiving Day. I'm a firm believer in self-protection."

"Thanksgiving Day. I wonder why they are feeding me so lately."

"Thanks to him who spared our living, we're here, we're here till next Thanksgiving."