Turkey photograph   Save
Ohio Guide Photographs
Description: Caption on reverse reads: "Turkey Scene. Dennison. Wesley Green Photographer, New Phila. Nellie E. Kaltenbaugh, Ohio Writers' Project, New Phila." Dennison is located about 9 miles south of New Philadelphia. In the eighteenth-century Benjamin Franklin campaigned to have the wild turkey as the national symbol of the United States. He lost his battle, but the turkey won its battle of survival in Ohio to become a recovered species. History Pre-Settlement Wild turkeys were used extensively by Native Americans for food and their feathers were used for ornamentation. Settlement Early settlers commonly saw flocks of 30-50 turkeys in the winter. As more people moved permanently to the state, unrestricted hunting, and the fact that they were a favorite food, caused populations to decline. 19th Century By 1832, no turkeys could be found near Mansfield. Local extirpation had occurred through most of Ohio counties by the 1850s. No attempts were made to stop their disappearance. 20th Century By 1904, turkeys were extirpated from Ohio. In the late 1930s - early 1940s, many farms in southeastern Ohio were abandoned, allowing forests to regrow and turkeys to return. From 1956 to 1963, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources tried, unsuccessfully, to introduce turkeys that had been hand raised. However, as natural populations increased, many were moved to other areas of the state. Today they live in twenty-two Ohio counties. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B09F14_003_1
Subjects: Wild turkey--Ohio
Places: Dennison (Ohio); Tuscarawas County (Ohio)