Blue Hills Reservation is a Massachusetts state park located in Milton, Quincy, Braintree, Canton, Randolph, and Dedham. The park is managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation.
Description
Blue Hills Reservation (commonly referred to simply as "the Blue Hills") is a 7,000 acre (28 km²) park primarily used for hiking and mountain biking.
The Blue Hills' gentle terrain and scenic views, in combination with the reservation's proximity to Boston, make it a popular destination for hikers from the metropolitan area. The highest point within the reservation, Great Blue Hill in Milton, is the site of a historic weather observatory whose tower offers views of Boston and the surrounding area.
Between approximately December and March, Great Blue Hill offers a ski area. Houghton's Pond and nearby Ponkapoag Pond are popular swimming and recreation areas during the summer.
The ecology of the Blue Hills is diverse and includes marshes, swamps, upland and bottomland forests, meadows, and an Atlantic White Cedar bog. A number of endangered species in Massachusetts, such as the Timber Rattlesnake, reside in the reservation. Other flora and fauna include dogwood, lady's slipper, coyotes, turkey vultures, and copperheads.
The reservation has affiliations with the Massachusetts Audubon Society (named for the famous ornithologist, John James Audubon). It includes the Trailside Museum, which includes indoor and outdoor animal exhibits. The Blue Hill Meteorological Observatory, atop Great Blue Hill, was founded in 1885, and is the oldest continuous weather recording station in the United States.[1]
Located a few miles from downtown Boston, the reservation has the distinction of being the largest conservation land within a major metropolitan area.
Name
More than ten thousand years before those Europeans arrived, Native American made their home in the hills. The Natives referred to themselves as Massachusett, or "people of the great hills". The Commonwealth of Massachusetts derives its name for this Native American name. The Massachusetts Bay Colony was named after the indigenous population, the Massachusett, whose name can be segmented as mass-adchu-s-et, where mass- is "large", -adchu- is "hill", -s- is a diminutive suffix meaning "small", and -et is a locative suffix, identifying a place. It has been translated as "at the great hill," "by the many small hills" "at the little big hill," or "at the range of hills," referring to the Blue Hills, or in particular, Great Blue Hill, located on the boundary of Milton and Canton, to the southwest of Boston.[1][2][3] (c.f. the Narragansett name Massachusêuck;[2] Ojibwe misajiwensed, "of the little big hill").[4]
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History
The Blue Hills were so named by early European explorers who, while sailing along the coastline, noticed the bluish hue on the slopes when viewed from a distance.
In 1893, the Metropolitan Parks Commission purchased the lands of Blue Hills Reservation as one of the first areas set aside for public recreation. Today, the reservation is rich in both archaeological and historic resources. Sixteen historic structures listed on the National Register of Historic Places tell the fascinating tales of Native Americans, explorers, farmers, quarry workers and inventors.
Recreational opportunities
- Boating (non-motorized)
- Camping
- Educational/interpretive programs
- Fishing
- Hiking
- Horseback riding trails
- Ice skating
- Mountain biking
- Picnicking
- Playing fields
- Rock climbing
- Skiing, cross-country and downhill
External links
- Park Website: http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/metroboston/blue.htm
- Panoramic photo of the blue hills
- The Blue Hill Observatory Meteorological Observatory Official Site
- Massachusetts Audubon Society
- The Blue Hills Trailside Museum
- Blue Hills Ski Area Ski Area Official Site
- Friends of the Blue Hills, a community preservation group
- thisplaceiknow.com entry for Blue Hills Reservation
- ↑ This derivation is located in C. Lawrence Bond, Native Names of New England Towns and Villages, privately published, Topsfield, Massachusetts, 1991. The pamphlet was never mass produced but it is probably obtainable through the library or bookstores in Topsfield.
- ↑ a b Salwen, Bert, 1978. Indians of Southern New England and Long Island: Early Period. In "Northeast", ed. Bruce G. Trigger. Vol. 15 of "Handbook of North American Native Americans", ed. William C. Sturtevant, pp. 160-176. Washington D.C.: Smithsonian Institution. Quoted in: Campbell, Lyle. 1997. American Indian Languages: The Historical Linguistics of Native America. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pg. 401
- ↑ Bright, William (2004). Native American Place Names of the United States. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, pg. 270
- ↑ Freelang Ojibwe Dictionary. Freelang.net