How now? Cow path tale is pure bull
By Johnny Diaz, Boston Globe

The layout of Boston's streets is so helter-skelter because they are founded on the lines of meandering cow paths.

Fact or fiction?

Fiction.

The cow path fable is one of Boston's biggest and most enduring myths, according to William Fowler, director of the Massachusetts Historical Society, who urged drivers not to blame cows for our dysfunctional roadways.

The birth of Boston's roadways was simply unorganized, he said; people built houses where they pleased, and roads emerged among them without the benefit of urban planners.

This is, of course, obvious to anyone who has driven in Boston. Seeing as not even cows wacked out on LSD could produce such convoluted and illogical paths. More below.

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By Johnny Diaz, Globe Staff | April 25, 2004

The layout of Boston's streets is so helter-skelter because they are founded on the lines of meandering cow paths.

Fact or fiction?

Fiction.

The cow path fable is one of Boston's biggest and most enduring myths, according to William Fowler, director of the Massachusetts Historical Society, who urged drivers not to blame cows for our dysfunctional roadways.

The birth of Boston's roadways was simply unorganized, he said; people built houses where they pleased, and roads emerged among them without the benefit of urban planners.

''There was no plan," he said. ''When the English men and women here got off the boat, they decided where they wanted to live, and it was up to other people to make the roads."

The early pioneers were well aware the city was poorly planned and dense, a lot like today, Fowler said.

''In 1630, Boston was a tiny place, a small peninsula, and everyone wanted to live close to work, and most of the work was down along the waterfront," he said. ''Everyone crowded into a very small area. It was very, very dense. There used to be a toast given in taverns: 'Here is the crooked little town of Boston.' Even in the 18th century, people understood it was pretty confusing."

One area of Boston that is unusual for its ease and maneuverability is Back Bay, with its grid-like pattern and alphabetized street names.

Until the mid-1800s the area was marshland, regularly flooded by the Charles River, swollen with ocean tide -- hence ''the back bay" moniker.

In 1857, the Legislature gave local commissioners the green light to fill and develop the land.

The project, which required filling the area to a depth of about 20 feet, added 450 acres to the 783-acre peninsula that was originally Boston.

A street plan calling for a grid of parallel streets, generally credited to architect Arthur Gilman, was implemented.

A system of alleys provided for deliveries to be made at the rear of dwellings.

''There are no surprises in Back Bay," Fowler added. ''The Back Bay is very well-planned."

So what about those cows?

Yes, there were cows and they grazed on the Boston Common, according to the website thefreedomtrail.org and that is probably why the myth has endured over the years.

And if you do get lost, Fowler's solution: ''Go back to Park Street and start all over."

posted by awiggins | 09:27 AM