The True Pilgrims’ Tale

Plymouth Rock is Crap

For the coming Thanksgiving holiday, I thought that I would do a proper tribute to the beginnings of our country by telling the true pilgrims’ tale. For reasons not clear to me, the town of Plymouth, Massachusetts, seems to get all the good press for the 1620 pilgrim landing. Furthermore, the town of Plymouth bilks millions of dollars out of the tourists every year with their fake rock and reconstructed Mayflower. So, allow me to begin this post by telling you of my visit to the “so called” first pilgrim landing at Plymouth, MA…

First, I think its important to explain the dubious legitimacy of the Plymouth Rock. The rock was not even placed on the Plymouth shore until about a hundred years after the supposed 1620 landing. The location of the rock is based on one guys statement of what his 94 year old, original Pilgrim grandfather told him. Did you follow that? In other words, the basis of Plymouth Rock’s location is hearsay from one individual who heard it from his senile 94 year old grandfather (true story). Beyond the shaky legitimacy of Plymouth landing, the real miscarriage of history is what happened BEFORE the alleged Plymouth landing. Plymouth, MA, was actually the SECOND stop in the USA for the Mayflower. Credit for the FIRST landing of the pilgrims belongs to Provincetown, Massachusetts.

All Credit to P-town

Perhaps, I am the only ignorant one on this piece of history. But, please allow me to work through my own confusion… On November 11, 1620, after 67 days at sea, the Pilgrims actually landed in what is now Provincetown harbor in Massachusetts. The pilgrims hung out in P-town for about 5 weeks. In those 5 weeks, they accomplished two major tasks. First, they wrote the “Mayflower Compact,” establishing the foundation and rules for their new society. Second, they took their small exploration vessel, the Shallop, around the interior of the Cape to explore the new world. Eventually, the pilgrims relocated to Plymouth, MA, and you know the story from there. Point being, we do not give enough recognition to P-town as the true first Pilgrim landing.

THEY say the pilgrims did not stay in Provincetown due to the lack of fresh water. However, I suspect the real reason was their sad intolerance of the LGBTQ+ community in P-town. Just saying.

The Pilgrim Monument

About 114 years ago, the folks of P-town made a damn good effort to recover some publicity on this pilgrims’ landing controversy. The effort came in the form of the Pilgrim Monument.

The Pilgrim Monument is impressive. Completed in 1910, this 252 feet monument holds the honor of being the tallest all-granite structure in the USA. As it sits on a big hill and goes from there, the magnificence of the monument can be seen anywhere in P-town. There is also a museum (free) on top of the hill. You can get your dose of history and repeatedly learn the Provincetown motto…“The Pilgrims Landed Here First.”

Getting to the Top

The monument is not merely a tribute to the true first landing of the pilgrims, its a quest to get to the top. As my knee was acting up at the time, I was very excited when the lady at my hotel told me…”there was a gondola to the top.” I began my search by looking for some Aspen ski resort-like gondola that would whisk me to the tippy top of the monument. Nope, that was not gonna happen. What I finally found was this…

That’s not a gondola. Nor, do I consider it an elevator, as also advertised. I would call it an incline. Be that as it may, the incline only takes you to the top of the hill, which is at the bottom of the monument. The top of the monument is all up to you. However, if you are dumb enough to hike the 116 steps to the top, you get this lovely sticker and one awesome view.

Wrap It Up

I wanted to get the true pilgrims tale out prior to Thanksgiving to make your holiday more accurate. So, when you are giving thanks to the pilgrims this Thursday, please remember that its the brave pilgrims of Provincetown, NOT Plymouth. Have a Happy Thanksgiving. PT

I hope you have enjoyed “The True Pilgrims Tale” on Traveling with PugsleyTonks.

Here was one grand monument that should not exist… https://travelingwithpt.com/this-aint-no-washington-monument/

If you can not get enough of the Pilgrim Monument, here you go https://www.pilgrim-monument.org/