Mittineague Park
Encyclopedia
Mittineague Park is an approximately 325 acres (1.3 km²) urban park
located in the southern section of the town of West Springfield, Massachusetts
(In neighborhoods, Tatham and Mittineague). The park contains a wide range of services typical of a park of this type, including many baseball/softball diamonds, and trails for hiking or cross-country skiing. It has a large pavilion
, and a building that is used as a summer camp
for children with special needs. Special events are scheduled at the park, including events for children. It contains a greenhouse
and a community garden. There is an interpretive trail created by the "Friends of Mittineague Park".
Native peoples were active in the area up until 400 years ago. The southwestern part of West Springfield is still called Tatham, a name derived from the Algonkian
name for the brook. The Westfield River, which runs at the outermost perimeter and most of the park's terrain was created by glaciers (the Hitchcock glacial lake/Laurentide ice sheet) as they retreated 15-20,000 years ago.
Mittineague Park is home to wildlife such as hawks, beavers, frogs, foxes, fishers (a.k.a Fisher Cats), and deer. The deer are most active during the winter season, and are found grazing year round in the meadows which were once part of a farm.
Urban park
An urban park, is also known as a municipal park or a public park, public open space or municipal gardens , is a park in cities and other incorporated places to offer recreation and green space to residents of, and visitors to, the municipality...
located in the southern section of the town of West Springfield, Massachusetts
West Springfield, Massachusetts
The Town of West Springfield is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 28,391 at the 2010 census...
(In neighborhoods, Tatham and Mittineague). The park contains a wide range of services typical of a park of this type, including many baseball/softball diamonds, and trails for hiking or cross-country skiing. It has a large pavilion
Pavilion (structure)
In architecture a pavilion has two main meanings.-Free-standing structure:Pavilion may refer to a free-standing structure sited a short distance from a main residence, whose architecture makes it an object of pleasure. Large or small, there is usually a connection with relaxation and pleasure in...
, and a building that is used as a summer camp
Summer camp
Summer camp is a supervised program for children or teenagers conducted during the summer months in some countries. Children and adolescents who attend summer camp are known as campers....
for children with special needs. Special events are scheduled at the park, including events for children. It contains a greenhouse
Greenhouse
A greenhouse is a building in which plants are grown. These structures range in size from small sheds to very large buildings...
and a community garden. There is an interpretive trail created by the "Friends of Mittineague Park".
Native peoples were active in the area up until 400 years ago. The southwestern part of West Springfield is still called Tatham, a name derived from the Algonkian
Algonquian languages
The Algonquian languages also Algonkian) are a subfamily of Native American languages which includes most of the languages in the Algic language family. The name of the Algonquian language family is distinguished from the orthographically similar Algonquin dialect of the Ojibwe language, which is a...
name for the brook. The Westfield River, which runs at the outermost perimeter and most of the park's terrain was created by glaciers (the Hitchcock glacial lake/Laurentide ice sheet) as they retreated 15-20,000 years ago.
Mittineague Park is home to wildlife such as hawks, beavers, frogs, foxes, fishers (a.k.a Fisher Cats), and deer. The deer are most active during the winter season, and are found grazing year round in the meadows which were once part of a farm.