Bumps 02 9.03

The Bumps

This area of the gardens was once a flat, open field that Herbert Dow used for growing muskmelons. Dow’s head gardener, Elzie Cote, became an expert at protecting the patch from mischievous local youth and would-be thieves. 

According to an article in The Midland Republic on September 20th, 1907, “Mr. Thomas Griswold was at H.H. Dow’s the other evening. The two and Willard Dow walked out to see if anybody was meddling with the melons. Meantime Elzie Cote and Adam and Herman Winkler had thought of the same danger, and with guns had hid in the corn to watch for marauders. They heard the Dow bunch and opened fire in the darkness at close range. Eleven shots were fired and nobody hurt before they could make each other understand. Mr. Dow thinks the joke is on him.”  

As the gardens transitioned from a private family estate to a public garden, Alden Dow designed these bumps as an interactive area where children can run, tumble, and play. 

Dow Gardens Audio Tour
  1. Visitor Center & Gift Shop
  2. Birch Grove
  3. Boulder Pass & Waterfall
  4. Streamside
  5. Conservatory
  6. Secret Garden
  7. Herb Garden
  8. Sun Bridge
  9. The Pines
  10. The Yew Maze
  11. Willow Wedding Site
  12. Red Bridge Overlook & The Maze
  13. Founders' Circle
  14. The Bumps
  15. Observation Island
  16. Wedding Peninsula
  17. Rhododendron Trail
  18. Children's Garden
  19. Rose Garden & Trial Beds
  20. Rose Garden Bridge
  21. Orange Bridge Overlook & The Snake Creek Floodplain
  22. Orchard
  23. Mini Pines
  24. Wildflower Meadow
  25. Playground
  26. Forest Trails
  27. Covered Bridge
  28. Canopy Walk
  29. Education Center