One of the great things about this time of year is looking forward to Thanksgiving. The turkey, the family moments, and reminding Massachusetts what Mainers have done for them.
During the first few months of 1621, when the settlers at Plymouth were struggling to survive, a local Native American leader named Massasoit heard that they were failing badly. Thinking they may become useful trading partners in time, Massasoit encouraged another native man named Samoset, who lived in what is now the Pemaquid area here in Lincoln County, to travel to Plymouth and see if he could help these pilgrims out.
Samoset had been visiting among Massasoit and his people for a few months and he was an excellent choice for the mission. Having lived most of his life among fishermen and sailors near Monhegan Island, he had learned the customs and a bit of the language of these new visitors. He even knew most of the ship captains by name. A few months after the Mayflower dropped anchor, Samoset paid a visit to Plymouth.
Imagine the surprise among the settlers when this native man walked into their settlement and said, “Hi, Englishmen. Got any beer?”
Once over their shock at the unexpected greeting, the English learned much from Samoset about how to survive in their “New World.” While about half of the settlers did not survive that first winter in Plymouth, surely many more would have perished without Samoset’s timely guidance. But for his assistance, the colony may have failed before it ever got a foothold, and that “first Thanksgiving” we have heard so much about since then may have never taken root.
So, if you are lucky enough to be from Lincoln County, home of the helpful Samoset, and you happen to speak with friends or relatives in Massachusetts this Thanksgiving Day, be sure to remind them who made their first Thanksgiving possible.
(Sen. Dana Dow, R-Waldoboro, represents all of Lincoln County except Dresden, plus Washington and Windsor. He has a keen sense of both history and humor.)
