Above: Fictional depiction of preparing a turkey dinner.

"A man's got to eat and it can't always be steak" is pretty accurate for the story of Wisconsin's voyagers who followed shortly after explorer Jean Nicolet. According to whoonew.com, Pierre-Espirit Radisson and brother-in-law Médard Chouart des Groseilliers were a part of what is believed to be Wisconsin's first "Thanksgiving" – which abslutely did not include steak.

Traveling quite a distance from New York to Lake Superior, the pair eventually became stranded, leading to  imminent starvation. Thus, the two resorted to boiled-down bones and animal guts in order to stay alive. Not your typical "Thanksgiving feast." Turkey? Heh, um, they were also forced to consume their own two dogs.

After battling the repercussions of cold weather and minimal food, Radisson and Chouart des Groseilliers were eventually spotted by exiled members of a nearby Ottawa tribe. It was not until then that a true hearty meal was enjoyed, or inhaled seeing as they were literally starving.

This meal, somewhat similar to our traditional idea of Thanksgiving, ultimately consisted of the rice and turkey, and the travelers proclaimed their thanks (or "thanksgivings," if you will) for the generosity provided by the Ottawas.