Keep traveling around the Pond and stop about halfway along the back side.
As well as serving as a lovely backdrop for all the houses once built on its shores and as parkland after its transformation by Olmsted, the Jamaica Pond has always offered recreational opportunities to the residents of JP. The waters have been fished since the time of the Massachusett (as we discussed early some of the Native American artifacts found in the vicinity have to do with fishing) and the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife continues this long-standing tradition. Each spring the Pond is stocked with trout and salmon by schoolchildren and politicians (it is a
great photo op!) Then fishermen line the shores hoping to catch one of the introduced fish, or maybe one of the species native to the Pond: pickerel,
bass, hornpout (official name is brown bullhead) and perch. The Jamaica Pond was a mecca in Victorian times for ice skaters. There are many etchings of skaters on the Pond and it always looks very crowded. In 1858, it was reported that as many as 5000 people per day skated on the pond during March. All of Boston came out, surrounding the Pond with their carriages and donning their skates. Nowadays, skating is not allowed as the ice is not nearly as solid as it once was. Swimming is prohibited in the 21st century as well. Nominally, the reason is because the Jamaica Pond remains a back-up water supply for the City but effectively since it is impossible to insure bathers’ safety. Unfortunately, many drownings have occurred at Jamaica Pond. In 1873, there was a bathhouse at the pond. Neighbors filed a lawsuit over the noise and nuisance, and there is no further record of it.
Boating is another long-standing recreational use of Jamaica Pond. Today, the concession is run by Courageous Sailing who rent both row boats and sailboats and also offer lessons. The boathouse across the pond, where we started, was added in 1912.
Standing here, we see the large numbers of waterfowl who inhabit the Jamaica Pond. Ducks, geese and swans all live here. There are many other bird species who call the area home too. Indigo buntings, great horned owls, great blue herons and cedar waxwings have all been spotted. Some red tailed hawks are in the neighborhood as well. There are numerous species of insects about, including dragonflies and butterflies (and mosquitos too). There are turtles as well as fish living in the water.