From the Archives - Nov. 28, 2024

This drawing is from the November 23, 1900, BF Herald - "The National Bird"

No, the turkey is not the national bird of the United States.

The Great Seal of the United States was approved in 1782, with a bald eagle as its centerpiece. The design was created by Charles Thomson, from Philadelphia and secretary of Congress. He borrowed ideas proposed by Franklin, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson, who were all part of the committee to design the seal. The seal is still used today as a symbol of the country and national identity

The myth that Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be the national bird started from a letter he wrote to his daughter criticizing the original eagle design for the Great Seal. He said that it looked more like a turkey. In the letter, Franklin wrote, “For my own part I wish the bald eagle had not been chosen as the representative of our country.” The Founding Father argued that the eagle was “a bird of bad moral character” that “does not get his living honestly” because it steals food from the fishing hawk and is “too lazy to fish for himself.” Franklin called the turkey “a much more respectable bird” and “a true original native of America.” While he considered the eagle “a rank coward,” Franklin believed the turkey to be “a bird of courage.”

The private letter was a spirited promotion of the turkey over the eagle, Franklin never made his views public. There is no record that Franklin actually suggested the turkey as the national bird. 

The turkey has been associated with Thanksgiving since 1789. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Boundary County Historical Society and Museum, 7229 Main, Bonners Ferry, Idaho sponsors this column. 

Visit the museum, Thursday-Saturday 10 a.m.-3 p.m., or visit the website at boundarycountymuseum.org or the museum’s Facebook page for historical photos and stories, and to see upcoming events. The museum can be reached via email at doyouremember@meadowcrk.com or by phone at 208-267-7720.