Gibraltar at a Distance

This image shows Gibraltar Island on the horizon. This seven-acres island was owned for many years by Jay Cooke, who spent weeks each summer and fall fishing. It lies just across the bay from South Bass Island.

Put-in-Bay Harbor

This photograph shows Put-in-Bay Harbor with Gibraltar Island across the bay in the background. This image was made from a stereoview card created by A. C. Platt in the 1880s. South Bass Island was a popular destination in the 1880s for residents of Toledo, Cleveland, and Detroit.

Cedar Point's Western Cruise

The canals and lagoons dug by George Boeckling in 1905 were put to a new use in 1964 when the Western Cruise opened at Cedar Point. Guests were taken on a boat ride through the early history of Ohio, complete with animated Indians, snarling cougars, and frontier settlers. The ride operated at the park through the 2011 season. The area was then used for the Dinosaurs Alive attraction.

East Harbor State Park

East Harbor State Park attracted huge crowds on warm summer weekends, as this 1950s lineup of vehicles attests. Automobile travel expanded quickly in the 1950s as the economy grew and roads improved. The cities that provided the region with many of its visitors, like Cleveland, Detroit, and Toledo were at their peak in the 1950s and 1960s.

Blue Streak

The Blue Streak, named for the Sandusky, Ohio athletic teams, opened in 1964. It was the first new wooden roller coaster at the park since the Cyclone in 1929. A classic out-and-back coaster with a fast and hilly ride, the 78-foot-high Blue Streak is a long time guest favorite. It celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2014.

The Stagecoach Ride at Cedar Point

The Stagecoach Ride at Cedar Point featured simulated attacks by desperadoes. The ride existed for only two season, closing in 1968. The Cedar Point and Lake Erie Railroad, which opened in 1963, is the most popular ride in the history of Cedar Point. It features authentic steam-powered, coal-driven burning locomotives. It celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2013.

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.