Checker Convention

In the summer of 1936, Cedar Point hosted a convention and competition of the nation's premier checker players. Note the formal dress of the checker players.

Wine Cask Cottages

Builders competed with each other in constructing cottages with visual appeal. Vacation rentals designed to look like wine casks, seen here in the 1930s and 1940s were available on the shoreline between Vermilion and Huron, Ohio and on South Bass Island in Lake Erie.

Live Entertainment at Cedar Point

Through the years, Cedar Point's live entertainment has always varied. In the 1960s, the park offered Broadway-style revues, strolling acts, Dixieland bands, and country acts, all performed by college students studying music or theater.

Put-in-Bay Harbor

This picture features Put-in-Bay Harbor during the 1924 Inter-Lake Yachting Association Regatta. ILYA Regatta is the oldest event at Put-in-Bay and is still going strong. Primarily a sailing event, it attracts boats from throughout the Great Lakes for several days of racing in July and early August.

Courtesy Corps at Cedar Point

To make Cedar Point more guest-oriented, a Courtesy Corps was created, much like that at Disneyland. College girls were recruited for their guest services skills. They answered questions and provided information and assistance to guests. This picture of a young lady who was part of the corps was taken in 1968.

Cedar Point Chaussee

This pictures shows a stream of automobiles making their was down the Cedar Point Chaussee (Chaussee is French for a paved road.) Realizing that access to Cedar Point by the automobile was an essential to the park's success, owner George Boeckling built a road that ran the length of the Cedar Point peninsula. This was a distance of seven miles, beginning at U.S. Route 6 to the entrance of Cedar Point.

Cedars Hotel

The Cedars Hotel opened on the Bay side of Cedar Point in 1915. It incorporated the original White House Hotel. It featured 270 guest rooms, a cafeteria, and a gift shop as well as areas with wicker chairs and writing tables.

Cedar Point Midway on Opening Day

Dozens of high school bands from all over the state of Ohio played on opening day at Cedar Point in 1969. They were an opening day tradition in the 60s and 70s. This photograph also shows the Wild Mouse coaster, the refurbished Coliseum, the Sky Ride, as well as the concrete Midway.

Castalia Trout Club

One of the many hunting and fishing clubs along Lake Erie shoreline was the Castalia Trout Club founded around 1890. It provided access to Cold Creek, the only area watercourse with trout habitat.

Grand Pavilion of Cedar Point

This picture, taken from the lake side, shows the Grand Pavilion, the boardwalk, and the band shell. The Grand Pavilion was the center of activity on the peninsula for many seasons. Beautiful floral displays were located on the grounds.

Hotel Victory on South Bass Island

The Hotel Victory opened on South Bass Island in 1892. It was an enormous structure that accommodated 625 guests and had a capacity for 800 dinner guests. The owners believed the hotel, located on a bluff on the west side of the island, could compete with the prestigious summer retreats on the East Coast. Promotional materials boasted that the Hotel Victory was the largest seasonal hotel in the country. The hotel burned to the ground in a massive fire in 1919. Today the grounds are part of the South Bass Island State Park.

Strolling the Cedar Point Midway

Three women stroll the Cedar Point midway. The new Bath House is featured behind them. The facade atop the Bath House features the latest styles in swimwear for ladies.

Rotunda of the Breakers Hotel

The five-story Rotunda of the lobby of the Breakers Hotel provided a place for guests to relax and enjoy the hotel. Wicker furniture was imported from Europe. The Rotunda was also the scene of entertainment including impromptu concerts from Metropolitan Opera stars such as Enrico Caruso, who stopped at Cedar Point on their way to Chicago for the Met's summer season.

Lake Manitoba (Canada 29344)

The "Lake Manitoba" was built by Davie Shipbuilding, Ltd. in Lauzon, P. Q. in 1968. Until 1986, she was owned by Nipigon Transport, Ltd, of Montreal. That year she was purchased by Algoma Central Marine of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. The following year, she was renamed the "Algomarne". In 1989, she was converted to a self unloader.

Charles W. Kotcher 204799

This vessel was built at Lorain, Ohio in 1907 by the American Ship Building Company. Until 1915, she was owned by the Detroit Steamship Company of Detroit, Michigan. From 1915 to 1950, she was owned by the Wilson Transit Company of Cleveland, Ohio. From 1950 to 1968, she was owned by the Gartland Steamship Company of Chicago and the U. S. From 1920 to 1969, she was known as the "Frank E. Taplin." In 1969, she was towed along with the "Howard M. Hanna, Jr." to Cartagena, Spain for scrapping.