The Turkey Trot emerged near the end of the first decade of the 20th Century, displacing the somewhat tamer Tw0-Step among the more energetic youth of America, much to the consternation of more conservative dancers and self-appointed moral guardians.
Exactly what a Turkey Trot was is a bit vague. It could be a very bouncy Tw0-Step, perhaps with a kick in lieu of the second side step, done with something of an alternative ballroom hold (I won't bother explaining what I mean, just look at the videos) or it could simply be hopping from side to side. The constants seemed to be the odd hold and a bounce or fast walk. It was a time of dancefloor improvisation and invention, and a lot of dancers were doing their own personal take on Ragtime dancing that might include (or might not include) elements of the prevailing trends.
Further, in common usage,"Turkey Trot" seems to have been a generic term used by those who disapproved of things to describe any dancing of which they disapproved.
A story was widely reported, and denied by the Whitehouse, that Mrs. Wilson insisted that the 1914 Inaugural Ball be cancelled out of fear that it might be infiltrated by Turkey Trotters.