Turkeys 623-624
Fun Fact #623
The Water Ghosts
Every year one of my favorite series of Fun Facts is The Halloween Season, and surprisingly a great many of you agree, so this year we’re going to start a little early, with some of the creatures native to Illinois. Admittedly they may not all be dangerous but should related back to halloween in one way or another. So without further Ado here is today’s Fun Fact on: Turkeys . ..
What? You think Turkeys were for Thanksgiving only?! I'm afraid there is a fowl truth to this bird’s past which you may not be aware of. You see, in the early 1900s Turkeys were driven to extinction here in Illinois. Then the real trouble began since Turkey' s diet as omnivores helped maintain Prairies, cleared forest floors, and even delayed shoreline erosion in southern Illinois by eating burrowers like crawfish in the rivers and swamps. The loss of this stabilizing factor in Illinois is thought to have played a part in several natural disasters in Illinois History such as widespread crop failure in the 1920s (Just ahead of The Dustbowl) and massive pest populations in the years which followed.
Yet the area worst impacted by the loss of Turkeys was southern Illinois which not only saw their pest problems increase, but also venomous snakes which ate the pests –particularly Water Moccasins. The increase of creatures which contributed to erosion in the area is also thought to have played a (Small) part in why there were so many massive and deadly floods between 1927-1954 with the worst being The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 known to be the largest natural Disaster in US History displacing more than 1 million people from Illinois to Louisiana. These floods in Southern Illinois drove many away leading to an outsized number of Ghost towns in southern Illinois compared to the rest of the US (outside of boom towns). Some of these towns have since been rumored to be haunted but this is thought to just be a tourist trap by people who have since resettled in the surrounding area. You know? I think it's safe to say Turkeys got their revenge from beyond the grave on this one.
Fun Fact #624
The Great Turkey Resurrection
WIth all the natural disasters striking Illinois between 1927 and 1954 The IDNR (Illinois Department of Natural Resources) decided to release turkeys at five river sites in Southern Illinois in 1959. Afterwards they used the “Trap and Transfer” method to bring Turkeys to the other 101 counties who were not included in the original release. It took almost 40 years but in early 2000 the IDNR declared the mission a success with an estimated population of over 150,000 turkeys statewide. Today it is considered one of the greatest reintroductions of species to a Native habitat in US history.
One side effect of the "Resurrection Of The Turkeys” however is that some circles now refer to their native status as “Zombie Nativity”. While this is not a scientific term it is the reason that several Illinois Illinois Diners cite as to why they have an October special of “Zombie Burgers” which are hamburgers made from turkey in place of beef. More comical however is some places’ “Zombie Burger" is just a TBLT Sandwich (Turkey, Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato). I wonder if that means Zombies too like BLTs. .. .. I wonder why they didn't try that in The Walking Dead? … *Singsongly* Here zombie, zombie.
