The History of Rockford Pickle Works in Loves Park, Illinois

Did you know that Loves Park was once home to a thriving pickle empire that supplied the Midwest with some of the tastiest pickles around?

A Trip Down Rockford's Memory Lane

I have lived in the Rockford area my entire life, and my partner Sweet Lenny has lived here for several decades, so this morning we decided to take a trip down memory lane by asking this question;

We quickly discovered that roller skating and backroad/parking lot hangs were THE things to do in the Rockford area back in the day, but it also had me feeling nostalgic.

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Whenever I want to take a fun trip into the Stateline area's past, I always hop on Rockford Rocked's Facebook to learn something new about my hometown.

Today I learned that Loves Park was once home to a popular pickle factory, called Rockford Pickle Factory, and that many other long time Rockford area residents never knew this place existed.

The History of Rockford Pickle Factory

Rockford Pickle Factory was located at 4700 North Second Street and was originally called Spring Garden Pickle Works. It was started by a man named Hiriam Snow who moved to Rockford from Chicago in 1881 and purchased 160 acres of land in Loves Park where he built a home, barn, warehouse, and planted many acres of cucumbers.

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A month before Hiriam's death in 1903, the business was transferred to his son Junius, and for several years Rockford Pickle Works was thriving. Then World War 1 began and ruined it all.

A Rockford Buzz article says;

During World War 1 sugar became difficult to obtain due to war rationing of sugar and after the war ended sugar prices skyrocketed forcing closure of the pickle company in 1922. After dissolving the pickle works, Junius Snow formed a real estate project at the family homestead on North Second Street Road, calling it Snow's Arlington subdivision.

The original Rockford Pickle Works building burnt to the ground in 1933, but in 1939 the business was reopened in a new location on Lexington Boulevard by Junius' brother-in-law Sam Yates.

Here are a few more things I learned about the Rockford Pickle Factory today thanks to comments on the Rockford Rocked post...

Loves Park named 2 streets after the founder. One is Junius and the other Snow Avenue.
My girlfriend and I would go there and eat pickles out of a barrel in front of the factory.
That's why the RR tracks at that end of LP is referred to as Snow's Crossing.
I remember back in the 70’s Rockford Pickle Works on Lexington Blvd in Loves Park. We kids use to check out the cucumbers soaking in the bins out back of the place.

Do you have any fond memories about Rockford Pickle Works? We sure would love to hear your stories! Just send us as message on the app...