Boerner Botanical Gardens
C
harles
B.
Whitnall served as Secretary of the Milwaukee County Park Commission
from its
inception in 1907 until his retirement in 1941. As
Secretary, he was a strong proponent of
public land acquisition along Milwaukee County’s lakefront and
waterways. A
longtime dream of Mr. Whitnall's was to
locate and set aside a large tract of land as a haven for city dwellers
– a
place people could go to enjoy lakes, streams, wildlife, flowers and
trees. In 1924, he
found the ideal parcel and, over
the following five years, advocated its purchase. Milwaukee
County eventually purchased the
parcel (1929-1930). Originally
dubbed
Hales Corners Park, the property was later (1932) renamed Whitnall Park
in
honor of its visionary, Charles B. Whitnall. In
1929, when Whitnall was 70 years of age, he
led the effort to create a magnificent park space for his fellow
citizens.
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Whitnall
Park originally consisted of 606 acres. Purchased
at a cost of $376/acre, this
expenditure left County coffers with little money for park development. The advent of the Great
Depression further
stymied the park’s completion. Laborers
from Depression Era government work relief programs were eventually
recruited
to do the job. The
two primary programs were
the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and the Works Progress
Administration
(WPA). A CCC camp
was built in Whitnall
Park under the direction and leadership of the US Army. A remnant building from the
CCC encampment
exists on-site and is used today as an educational facility. The
Boerner Botanical Gardens, an internationally renowned horticultural
showplace
in the Milwaukee County Parks, offers gardeners, plant lovers and
students the
opportunity to take in the colors and scents of a variety of
collections. |
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