Tinker Swiss Cottage Gardens
*Please note, these are not expansive botanical gardens but rather specific historic flower beds.
Land Acknowledgement
We acknowledge that Winnebago County resides within the traditional homelands of many Indigenous nations:
Hoocąk (Ho-Chunk, formerly Winnebago) Kiikaapoi (Kickapoo)
Bodéwadmik (Potawatomi), Odawa, and Ojibwe (Three Fires)
Asâkîwaki (Sauk) and Fox
Kiash Matchitiwuk (Menominee)
Meshkwahkîha (Meskwaki)
Myaamiaki (Miami)
Peoria
Očeti Šakówiŋ (Sioux).
These people, along with other tribes before them, have stewarded this land throughout history and continue today.
Information is sourced from Native Land, “History of the Forest Preserves of Winnebago County, Illinois,” and the University of Illinois College of Medicine- Rockford.
We acknowledge that Winnebago County resides within the traditional homelands of many Indigenous nations:
Hoocąk (Ho-Chunk, formerly Winnebago) Kiikaapoi (Kickapoo)
Bodéwadmik (Potawatomi), Odawa, and Ojibwe (Three Fires)
Asâkîwaki (Sauk) and Fox
Kiash Matchitiwuk (Menominee)
Meshkwahkîha (Meskwaki)
Myaamiaki (Miami)
Peoria
Očeti Šakówiŋ (Sioux).
These people, along with other tribes before them, have stewarded this land throughout history and continue today.
Information is sourced from Native Land, “History of the Forest Preserves of Winnebago County, Illinois,” and the University of Illinois College of Medicine- Rockford.
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Tinker's Victorian Rose Garden
The Victorian Rose Garden was restored in 1998 to the way it looked between 1890 to 1910. There are over 25 heirloom varieties of roses in the garden. The garden was recreated with the generous support from the family of former Board Member Jack Baxter. Tinker's Railroad Garden (Phase 1 Completed) The original Railroad Garden was created in 1908 by funds from the Illinois Central Railroad. Passengers would stroll along the paths and flower beds, while enjoying the view of Kent Creek, the Tinker Lagoon, and the Suspension Bridge. The railroad garden is being restored based on the findings in the Tinker journals, historic photographs of the garden, and research by Tinker's Master Gardener. |
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The Tinker Iris Path
The formal Iris Garden is still in development and will honor Jessie Tinker, Robert Tinker's second wife, who hybridized irises and won many gardening awards. Today, the Irises can be found in beds on the east and west side of the path from the parking lot to the Tinker Visitor Center. In 2010, the paths were developed by Mike Divent and all of the blooms were matched with a historic description. In 2020, the beds were revitalized by Dolores Avram to include 39 varieties spanning from 1911-1942, the years Jessie Tinker spent cultivating her irises.
Tinker Illinois Prairie Meadow
The Illinois Prairie Meadow is located west of the Tinker Railroad Garden. It was begun in the fall of 2010 with the intention of developing the prairie to the way it appeared in 1834 when Rockford was first founded. The prairie is located on the founding site of Rockford and is the historic site of Germanicus Kent's home. During Robert Tinker's life, this part of the land was used as a cow pasture.
The formal Iris Garden is still in development and will honor Jessie Tinker, Robert Tinker's second wife, who hybridized irises and won many gardening awards. Today, the Irises can be found in beds on the east and west side of the path from the parking lot to the Tinker Visitor Center. In 2010, the paths were developed by Mike Divent and all of the blooms were matched with a historic description. In 2020, the beds were revitalized by Dolores Avram to include 39 varieties spanning from 1911-1942, the years Jessie Tinker spent cultivating her irises.
Tinker Illinois Prairie Meadow
The Illinois Prairie Meadow is located west of the Tinker Railroad Garden. It was begun in the fall of 2010 with the intention of developing the prairie to the way it appeared in 1834 when Rockford was first founded. The prairie is located on the founding site of Rockford and is the historic site of Germanicus Kent's home. During Robert Tinker's life, this part of the land was used as a cow pasture.
