Thirteen years after a a dead moose’s carcass was found there, the town’s swamp has an official name.
On June 6, the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) approved the proposal to officially name the swamp on Spaulding Brook the Dead Moose Swamp. The official name will be entered into the USGS’s Geographic Names Information System.
Located on Abbott Hill Road in Mason, the 12-acre swamp on Spaulding Brook earned its name in the spring of 2009 from town residents who mistakenly thought the bloated carcass was a “new rock” that had made its way into the water.
In an interview July 28, 49-year Mason resident Ron Dubé said the town residents were surprised to discover the “new rock” was a 6-foot-tall moose that allegedly died in the swamp after getting stuck in the mud.
“They realized as they approached, there was a stench there, so after that, they called it Dead Moose Swamp,” said Dubé.
Dubé led the efforts to have Dead Moose Swamp officially approved by the BGN, a subdivision of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) that is responsible for regulating geographic names through the federal government.
According to Dubé, the process to naming the swamp was quite simple. In the summer of 2021, he first approached the Mason Board of Selectmen, and the abutting town’s board in Townsend, Mass., with his proposal to name the swamp after the dead moose encounter.
Mason Select Board Chair Kate Batcheller said she was supportive of the proposal from the beginning.
“When the application came to us, we signed off on it right away,” said Batcheller.
After getting the green light from board members, Dubé had to file an application to the BGN on the federal level. On June 6, BGN approved the official naming of Dead Moose Swamp for the Town of Mason.
Soon after receiving approval from BGN, Mason’s Select Board signed off on the proposal.
After waiting on the boards and BGN to approve the official name, Dubé said his plan was a success.
“It’s official recognition for people who called it [Dead Moose Swamp] for over 10 years.”
Batcheller said the Mason community is thrilled about Dubé’s efforts to give the Dead Moose Swamp its official name after 13 years since the encounter.
“No one asked Ron to do that, and Mason is very blessed to have passionate people like Ron. He’s always doing selfless things for the town,” said Batcheller.