Its been a while since I posted. Its’ just that the wrath of winter weather has struck me and it has not been decent enough to go on these long trips anymore. Here we are are today Sunday February 7th on what is Super Bowl Sunday and weather is looking decent until afternoon. I decide to make a 15 minute trip out to Winthrop MA. One appeal of this seaside community is the Deer Island 2.7 mile trail. I decided to park a few miles north of it to get myself more mileage on a day’s run.
First off, what is Deer Island?
Being named an island is a misnomer as it is in reality a peninsula i.e I didn’t have to sail a ship or cross a bridge to get to it. However once upon a time it was separated from the mainland and somehow naturally connected not as a result of human activity. How so you may ask? A 1938 hurricane filled in by beach erosion and put a sandbar over there. The sandbar was quickly paved over and made permanent. The land it connects to is named Shirley Gut, named after colonial Governor Shirley. It was itself a summer resort for Boston aristocrats.
There is quite some eery history behind the island…
It was a prison camp for Native Americans after King Philip’s War (1675–1676). Historical research estimates that between 500 and 1,100 Native people were forced onto the islands. Many perished from starvation and exposure to extreme temperatures.
Later in time it was used as quarantine for Irish immigrants escaping the Irish Potato Famine (1847–1850). Boston officials feared a citywide epidemic as many sick passengers arriving from Ireland contracted typhus, cholera, and an array of fevers. They would be moored at Deer Island and attended by a physician until they were safe to integrate with society. Conditions were still poor and it was estimated 850 people died on the island.
There is even a memorial on the island installed to commemorate their plight. I wasn’t able to locate it on my run but below is what it looks like:
^ image taken from here
Fast forward to modern times, Deer Island became the site of the pumping of waste water into Boston harbor. This situation became so untenable with the pollution in the harbor that it was decided that a modern waste water treatment plant be built on the premises. It became the second-largest sewage treatment plant in the United States, in fact processes wastewater from over 40 communities in the area that is 2.3 million people!! Below is the gated entrance to this facility:
The main attraction is the 12 egg-shaped sludge digesters standing 150 feet tall. They serve as anaerobic digesters by breaking down the sludge and the scum into methane gas, carbon dioxide, solid organic byproducts, and water. The methane gas allows the Deer Island plant to service nearly all of its own energy needs in-house and some of the digested sludge becomes organic fertilizer.
So I set out for my run and its 7 miles looping Deer Island and circling around green space encompassing Winthrop Golf Club and Winthrop High School stadium (cannot help but notice that they use the same avatar as the NFL Minnesota Vikings)
At the very entrance to the island you’ll encounter a buoys that used to be used as aids to assist in navigation for vessels entering and exiting Boston Harbor.
Below is a memorial to Judge A. David Mazone (1928–2004). He presided over the federal lawsuit brought by conservationists and others condemning the state of Boston Harbor when it was really filthy. It actually earned the title of dirtiest harbor in America. Ultimately his moves led to the improvements culminating in the building of the waste water treatment plant described above. The words inscribed in the granite read: “the law secures to the people the right to a clean harbor.” Nowadays the EPA considers it a a great American jewel.
Of course you get breathtaking views like those below where you could see the Boston skyline, rocky shores and if you can spot in the bottom image a red, white, and blue striped water tower in the distance.
You will also notice the presence of many benches on the island. Most are memorials and display a plaque. The one below is devoted to an infant that passed at 1 years of age, his parents have left over 2 dolls and gingerbread cookies 😢
With the run over, what was in store for the post-run grub?
I did not do any research of what’s good out here but had been eye-ing this spot in Chelsea so being nearby made an excuse to finally check it out:
Katz Bagel is a spot that has been around since 1938. Below are some interesting stats about it:
- on Boston Magazine’s Best Bagels List
- claim to be the inventors of the pizza bagel. The only detractor is another establishment in California.
- claim to have trained the baker who opened the first bagel shop in China
Aside from all these accolades, I have to give it my own taste test. I ordered the famed pizza bagel and a garlic bagel with veggie cream cheese. The total was less than a $5 and the owner was even kind enough to throw in an extra plain bagel for free.
They were fresh from the oven and the dough tasted great!! My opinions about the pizza bagel, it tasted similar to a Sicilian pizza slice which I adore but its not exactly like they took a real bagel and put pizza ingredients on top of it. I’ll definitely come back again!!
