Will's World 02 16 2010

Walking on the natural side of life.

Light snow was predicted for the Boston area, but local folks know that weather predictions in New England are just a guess. So, I stayed close to home for this blog, going the end of our neighborhood in Squantum to visit Moswetuset Hummock. A few definitions: Moswetuset is Algonquin and is often translated to mean a “hill shaped like an arrowhead”; and Hummock is a geological term which means “small knoll” or “mound”, which this land is, a mound of solid earth in a marsh area.


Located on Quincy Bay, and just 15 minutes from downtown Boston, Moswetuset Hummock is approximately an acre-and-a-half of land that residents visit for fishing, bird-watching, walking a dog, or just taking a few minutes of solitude. Historically, it was the seat of the Indian chief Chickatawbut, who was visited by Plymouth Colony commander Myles Standish and Squanto, a native guide, in 1621.

According to Wikapedia: “In his 1747 volume ‘A History of New-England’ historian Daniel Neal described Moswetuset Hummock as the origin of the name of the indigenous Massachusett tribe, and thus the name of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.”

Well, call it what you want, I enjoy it because it offers me a quiet time to contemplate life, God, and just what my place is in this whole scheme of things. We need many more hummocks in our lives.