Cedar Point, A History- Part 1

Right now, as I sit looking out at the ice and snow, and shiver in my house, I can't help but wish it were summer. Heat aside, summer is the only time we can go to Cedar Point Amusement Park, which is located on the shores of Lake Erie in Sandusky, Ohio.

Cedar Point is arguably the best amusement park in the world- and I'm not just another fan saying that. For the past 9 years now, Cedar Point has won the coveted Golden Ticket Award, given to the highest voted amusement park.

For roller coaster junkies, Cedar Point is the ultimate high. Sporting an impressive collection of 17 roller coasters, Cedar Point has the largest collection available in one location. Two of the coasters are made just for children- The Woodstock Express, and The Junior Gemini, which is nothing like the regular Gemini.

With an impressive history, Cedar Point has overcome many hardships to become what it is today. It is thought to have been called Cedar Point as early as 1805, but the first recorded instance of the name is in 1823 on a map of the peninsula, thought to be named after the groves of Cedar trees.

In 1870, after the civil war, boats were used to bring people to Cedar Point's beach, which at the time, was inaccessible by foot or buggy. The trip by boat was much shorter than following the land, which was over run with trees.

A bath house was built on the beach, along with a beer garden. Louis Zistel, a German immigrant, started this, and charged people a quarter to bring them to his sandy beach. Well into the 1880's this remained a popular bathing area by local residents of Sandusky, Ohio. In the early 1880's, picnic tables and a dance hall were added, as well as wooded pathways, and more bath houses  to give the people more things to do, and raise the popularity of Cedar Point.

Brush was cleared, as most of the peninsula was over run with it, and a baseball diamond was added near the enlarged picnic grounds. An wise decision led to the renting of bathing suits at a quarter for a day. This opened the beach up to even more visitors.

Perhaps one of the oldest buildings still in tact today is the Grand Pavilion, which was built in 1888. Today, the building is nearly unrecognizable from the park, but standing on the beach, it looks much the same today as it did back then. Standing two stories tall on the beach, this building held many entertainment options, including a bowling alley, a theater, even a bar. The front of the building was lined with a covered porch on both the first and second floors, allowing for people to gaze out at Lake Erie.

Today, if you were to look for it, you would find that the sides, which are the more narrow area, are all that is easily visible from the inside of the park. Located near the old Aquariums, and near the Snoopy Playground (not Camp Snoopy), you'll find a building with a brick facade and long white columns.

However, if you were to go onto the Ocean Motion ride, and peer back at the building from the queue line, you could see the magnificent front of this wonderful old building, still very recognizable from the front side. I am not quite certain of what the building holds today, though I know it is not open to the public.

The 1890's brought more changes to this ever popular park. Cedar Point was about to jump start the park as it's known today- a thrill park. The park added electricity at this time, which allowed them to add lights and pathways through out the heavily wooded areas.

Meanwhile, a ride known as the Water Toboggan was built on the beach side of the park. Guests of the park would climb a stair case up to the top of what was essentially a long slide, and descend into Lake Erie. Judging from estimates of where the Water Toboggan once stood, the Disaster Transport and Wicked Twister sit closest to them today, though the toboggan was built mostly over the water, where as the Wicked Twister and Disaster Transport are built much further back, off of the beach.

Further down the beach, and next to the Grand Pavilion was the Switchback Railway, which is a far cry from the roller coasters we ride today. Much like the Water Toboggan (and, most rides still available today), guests would walk up stair cases to a tower. From there, riders would enter a train which would go down a sloped hill, then up another small hill, turn a corner, and head down another hill.

This would be the end of the ride, and would be propelled solely on the momentum the train reaches heading down the first hill. At the end of the ride, men would push the train back to the top, where it would be repeated, causing a long wait for those wishing to ride this "coaster". 

Following the success of Cedar Point, other resorts opened with the same goal in mind. Nearest to Cedar Point was Johnson's Island, which was only a stone's throw or two away from Cedar Point. With two such resorts so close together, Cedar Point lost money, and the park began to show it's wear.

In 1897, a new investor, George A. Boeckling bought in on the park, and he proved to be a wise decision. George A. Boeckling was a visionary, and proved to others that Cedar Point would succeed where others would fail. The park repainted, cleaned up, and another ride was added- a carousel. He also replaced all of the bathing suits for rent with new ones.

By the end of the season in 1898, Boeckling brought Cedar Point back into a profit making status, and over the next several years, many more additions were added. Foremost was the addition of a hotel, which would allow people to remain at Cedar Point for days at a time, and opened the park up to more travelers. By 1901, there were two hotels on the peninsula, the Bay Short Hotel, which was on the opposite side of the peninsula from the beach, and the White House Hotel.

The popularity of the hotels was such that within a few years, seventy more rooms were added to the White House Hotel. Today, the White House Hotel still stands, though it is now a dormitory for the many park employees that Cedar Point employees during the operating season.

 End, Part 1

Part 1: http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474976896083
Part 2: http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474976896549 
Part 3: http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474976898000
Part 4: http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474976899504