Olmsted's Emerald Necklace

History

"The indirect course of the park-way, following the river bank, would prevent its being much used for purposes of heavy transportation. It would thus, without offensive exclusiveness or special police regulation, by left free to be used as a pleasure route."

-Frederick Law Olmsted, "Suggestions for the Improvement of the Muddy River", City Document No. 12, 1881, pp 13-16.

No history of the Emerald Necklace is complete without understanding the evolving complexity of transportation and its role in the maintenance of the park system as a whole. Olmsted's intentions for the system may be shocking to some, but his words bear looking at in our car-dependent age. This website will provide an overview of the history of the Muddy River and Emerald Necklace parks, beginning with Olmsted's design, to the ecological alterations from the Charles River Dam, the construction of Storrow Drive and the Bowker Overpass, to today.

We hope that by revisiting the words and wisdom of Olmsted himself we can help shed light upon our precious parks, and perhaps better understand our priorities as we move forward into the 21st Century. More to come soon! Please take a look at Photos to see the Muddy River as it once was.