What exactly is "Massachusetts" anyway? Where is the real, original Massachusetts? In this episode we explore the name and initial location it refers to. This is a good starting point for exploring the deep history of Lost Massachusetts.

The word Massachusett (sometimes Massachuset - with one T) loosely translates as: "at the range of hills" in the Algonquin dialect spoken by the native people of Massachusetts. The hills referenced in the term are the Blue Hills and in particular the Great Blue Hill in Milton.

The people referred to as Massachusett ("Massachuseuk") controlled an area much smaller than the current size of the state. Its frontier was roughly from Cape Ann in the North, Natick in the West and Weymouth in the South.

What became the colonist state of the Massachusetts Bay Colony also did not include Plymouth plantation, the Cape and Islands (The "Old Colony") or generally lands further to the West or North until later.

The Blue Hills Reservation is in Milton, Randolph, Quincy, Canton and Dedham. This is four-season recreational area with hiking, skiing, swimming, mountain biking. There are bathrooms, picnic areas, boat launches, a nature center and museum run by Mass Audubon.

The relationship between this location and the name of our state is not made plain or explained clearly. This was also likely the location of an important native settlement and possibly a place of religious significance - subjects that need to be explored in more depth.

Numbered Trail Map with Features

Massachuset-Ponkapoag Tribal Council

"Many Americans get the Pilgrims and the Puritans mixed up"

Algonkian Tribes of Massachusetts

Historical Villages of the Massachusetts Nation

Native Settlements and Trails

Map of MA Native Americans

Get at Lost Massachusetts Postcard from a Lost Place

Photos at: instagram.com/lostmassachusetts

Sound Effects From Zapsplat

Music Courtesy of Free Music Archive

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