Whitnall Park is

Milwaukee County, Wisconsin Milwaukee County is located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. At the 2020 census, the population was 939,489, down from 947,735 in 2010. It is both the most populous and most densely populated county in Wisconsin, and the 45th most populous coun ...

's largest park and it is located in

Hales Corners, Wisconsin Hales Corners is a village in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 7,692 at the 2010 census. History The land in the area that would eventually encompass the Village was first claimed as French, then British, and even ...

. The park was named for Charles B. Whitnall and planning for the park began in 1924. Major work in the park was completed during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

through the

Public Works Administration The Public Works Administration (PWA), part of the New Deal of 1933, was a large-scale public works construction agency in the United States headed by Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes. It was created by the National Industrial Recove ...

History

The planning for the park began in 1924, and the park was referred to as The park was named for Charles B. Whitnall Park. Whitnall was called the father of the Milwaukee County Park System. The plans for the park called for a golf course, picnic areas and an

Arboretum An arboretum (plural: arboreta) in a general sense is a botanical collection composed exclusively of trees of a variety of species. Originally mostly created as a section in a larger garden or park for specimens of mostly non-local species, man ...

. Many of park's structures, were constructed during the 1930s and much of the park labor was provided by the

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a major part of ...

program. Much of the landscaping was completed between 1935 and 1927 by The National Youth Association; the group was active in the park working on the gardens and picnic areas. The park is and it was originally called Hales Corners Park. The park covers one square mile making it Milwaukee County's largest park.

Park features

* Boerner Botanical Gardens which were The named for Alfred Boerner: the designer of the original gardens.Milwaukee County Parks
Tour
. *

Wehr Nature Center Wehr Nature Center is a nature preserve located in Hales Corners, Wisconsin: it is part of Whitnall Park. It was named for philanthropist Todd Wehr whose foundation donated $200,000 USD to help build the center. History The center opened in 1974 ...

which is a 220 acre section of protected land in Whitnall Park. *The park contains the state's oldest sugar maples (270 years) and other unique trees.

References

{{Milwaukee Milwaukee County, Wisconsin Parks in Wisconsin County parks in Wisconsin Protected areas of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin Urban public parks Geography of Milwaukee Tourist attractions in Milwaukee

History

Park features

See also

References