Chickatawbut Hill

According to Massachusetts history, Plymouth Colony commander Myles Standish and his Native American guide Squanto met a Sachem named Chickatawbut in 1621.

The Massachusetts Bay Colony was named after the indigenous population, the Massachusett, a word that translates roughtly into “near the great hill” and refers to Great Blue Hill in particular. One can be certain that Native Americans traveled through this exact stretch of woods on the hill pictured here.

Today, Chickatawbut Hill is home to the Norman Smith Environmental Education Center, which features a summer day camp for kids, operated by Mass Audubon. Chickatawbut Road, which cuts through Blue Hills and is the only way to get to the camp, is closed to traffic during the summer, creating a serene quiet that the old Sachem would doubtless have appreciated so close to Boston.