How a junkyard was transformed into a tourist park

On June 3, 1966, the McCook Daily Gazette shared an article from Christian Living, a monthly publication of the Mennonite Publishing House. The article, written by Jane Lind, praised the “Junkyard Turned Tourist Park”, our Karrer Park, after a stay by her family at the park. They were on their way from Pennsylvania to Oregon and according to Jane, Karrer Park was the nicest place to camp between the two. I’m going to share portions of her article which explain how the park came to be, who the original caretaker was, and how it got its’ name.

“Red geraniums bloomed beside a cement block bathhouse. Inside the hot and cold showers and rest rooms smelled so fresh and looked so clean that I wouldn’t have been afraid to lay my baby on the bare floor to change his diaper. No watermelon rinds or eggshells cluttered the ground around the picnic tables. The barbecue grills could be used without first digging out wet cereal boxes and tin foil. Grass grew where it was supposed to; huge trees surrounded the park with shade, and the newly planted trees looked healthy. After we had seen every kind of camping site on both sides of the Rockies, Karrer Park was hard to believe-especially when the caretaker told us that until March 1965, it had been a junkyard. The park made us feel good, but so did the caretaker.”

Mr. Walter Esch, caretaker extraordinaire, had introduced himself to the Lind’s that evening and after a night in the park they asked for his address so that they could write him and get the whole story behind the park.

“When the state of Nebraska planned a major highway modernization project, it purchased the highway frontage and access right along the way. A railroad ran parallel to the then narrow two-lane highway, and in between lay three acres of land covered with 450 junked cars, trash and weeds. Dr. F.M. Karrer, for whom the park was named, was mayor of McCook at the time. He suggested that the city buy the three acres and get rid of the junk. The city council purchased the area for $1,000 and in the first week of March 1965, the great change took place. The cars were pushed against the railroad embankment. After the junk was crushed, it was buried; lilac bushes marked the grave.”

The highway department helped pave a circular road, water was extended for the bathhouse, etc., and the initial outlay by the city came to under $ 5,000. Dr. and Mrs. Karrer donated grills to the project.

“Now that they had invested in burying a junkyard and planting a park, the city wanted it well kept. The police patrolled the area regularly at night under the light from two streetlights. But to find a good caretaker! City manager George Pyle said that he had hoped to find ‘someone like Walter Esch’ whom he knew to be a ‘retired farmer (age 63)’ with an unusual number of skills in the areas of carpentry, husbandry, and human relations as well. It developed that Esch was available. No one told Esch what or how much to do in the park, except that he build picnic tables and make other necessary improvements. He was also to keep the park clean and attractive.”

“Apparently to Esch ‘attractive’ is a big word, for he makes it include a lot. He and his wife spend summer evenings in the park greeting tourists and making them feel welcome. He enjoys visiting with people, especially those from other countries, he said. Last summer he met people from Germany, Russia, Argentina, and Brazil. He particularly remembers the two doctors and their wives from India who stopped and fie girls from Australia who were traveling by motor cycles.”

“McCook, Nebraska, can’t claim Pennsylvania Dutch barns or Shenandoah caverns to show to tourists; but it does have a one-time-junkyard park. And what other town has that on its record, with Walter Esch for the caretaker, besides?”

SWNGS Christmas open house will be Saturday, December 10th at 1 PM. Everyone is welcome to attend. Located at 322 Norris Ave. in the Temple Building, our library is on the second floor rooms 2-7. There is an elevator available.