by Edgar B. Herwick III
The Curiosity Desk, WGBH News
Is it actually safe to once again swim in the famed dirty water of Boston’s Charles River?
The waters and land surrounding the Quinobequin – possibly meaning “meandering” in Massachusett from quinnuppe or “it turns” – have been used and cared for by Pawtucket peoples and the Massachusett and Wampanoag tribal nations for generations. In the 1600s the river was dubbed the Charles by the English after then-prince and future King of England, Charles I. In the 19th and 20th centuries, it was used by people for everything from fishing to industrial power, recreation to bathing. And as a dumping ground for all kinds of waste. By the 1950s – at a time when there was deep inequities when it came to who had access to water in Greater Boston – it had become so dangerously polluted, it was not safe for people to be in contact with the water. Where do things stand today?
Hear Edgar talk about his swimming experience on The Culture Show Podcast (July 24, 2024).