The distinguished history of the cranberry goes back for ages. In olden times among the native peoples, they were sought after as much for medical purposes as for food eaten during ceremonies. The Iroquois called them "atoca" and they are still sometimes referred to by this name in Quebec.
Henry Hall, a veteran of the American Revolution, was the first to plant and cultivate a field of cranberries commercially in 1816. Today, cranberries are cultivated over more than 58,000 acres (23,470 hectares) throughout Canada, the northern U.S. and Chile.