First Thanksgiving in Gold Country

“Our first Thanksgiving Day dinner in the territory in the fall of 1863 was one of the memorable dinners I have ever attended. Henry Plummer, desiring to be on good terms with the Chief Justice, Mr. Edgerton, and my husband... invited [us] to dinner…he sent to Salt Lake City, a distance of five hundred miles, and everything that money could buy was served, delicately cooked and with all the style that would characterize a banquet at “Sherry’s” (a fancy restaurant). I now recall to mind that the turkey cost forty dollars in gold (now equal to $620).” (Harriet Sanders)

The first recorded Thanksg...