Krebs Trailhead Park is shown on Thursday, April 25.

Text and Photos
By Patrick Webb
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — For 10 years, the Krebs Trailhead Park has been the unofficial halfway mark for bicyclists between the Boggs Industrial Park and Winona Lake trails and a reminder of Warsaw and Winona Lake’s interurban history.

Krebs Trailhead Park is located at 214 S. McKinley Street, Warsaw, at the intersection with East Market Street.

According to Warsaw Parks and Recreation Department Superintendent Larry Plummer, “Eddy and Anita Krebs had purchased the land to keep development out of the area. (Eddy) then donated the land to the city for the trailhead park.”   

The park was constructed with parks department and Warsaw Street Department crews, which saved around $60,000, said Plummer. Financial support came from OrthoWorx, NIPSCO, Indiana American Water, the Kosciusko County Convention, Recreation & Visitors Commission and the Chicago, Fort Wayne & Eastern Railway.

Krebs Trailhead Park is part of the former corridor of the Winona Interurban Railroad, which ran from 1902 to 1952. The CF&E, which uses part of the original route, donated 100 feet of track for a display at the park.

“That is why the tracks are still at the park to remember the history of the interurban,” said Plummer. Railroad signals were proposed to be added as well, but Plummer said the “plans never materialized, so there are no plans to install them.”

A ceremony was held on Oct. 18, 2013 to open the trailhead.

Plummer said that in 2016 Krebs Trailhead was apart of the Stellar Community project. “A music keyboard sidewalk and interactive playground instruments were part of the proposal,” he said, but funding for the project “never materialized.”  

“In our five year plan, there aren’t any (proposals) for other development (at Krebs Trailhead,) but we are always looking for ways to improve our park system when funding is available,” said Plummer.   

“Krebs Trailhead provided that connection to the Winona Trail system and the proposed Market Street system at the time,” said Plummer. “It was always our goal to connect the trail from Winona to Rotary Park Trailhead, and Krebs played an important role in that.”   

Plummer said Krebs Trailhead provides space for people on the trail to take a break, such as to enjoy a picnic, use the restroom or rehydrate. It also had the first bike repair station in Warsaw’s park system, which includes wrenches, an air pump and stand, said Plummer.

In 2023, the artwork “Winged Totem,” created by John Mishler, was placed at Krebs Trailhead. The artwork was donated by Milt and Marie Holmgrain, as part of a larger donation to Warsaw, said Warsaw City Planner Justin Taylor.

“We were thrilled to artwork created by local artists around the city,” said Taylor. He explained that Mishler created “Winged Totem” in honor of Indigenous artwork.

Taylor said the placement of the artwork during Krebs Trailhead during its 10th year was a “happy coincidence.”

Taylor said he hoped that the southern section, where the proposed Stellar Community project would have gone, will be developed in the future.

“As development happens near the Gatke building and along (the Argonne Corridor), things will start to happen over there,” Taylor said. Taylor added the developed section of Krebs Trailhead was a “good start,” and that work will continue when funds become available.

Staff members of the Chicago, Fort Wayne and Eastern Railroad, a subsidiary of Genesee & Wyoming, work on constructing the Winona Interurban Railroad display at Krebs Trailhead Park shown in the InkFreeNews video below in 2013.