Home l History l Post Cards l Features l Archives Then & Nowl Lost Rides l Coaster Index l About Us l Links

[1 I2 I3 I4 I5 I6 I7 I8 I9 I10 I11]
n the early 1890's, Cedar Point expanded with many new additions. Around this time, electricity was first added to the resort that made it possible to power arched passageways with lights over some of the many pathways throughout the park. On the beach side of the resort they had a water toboggan type ride built where guests could be able to climb to a top of the tower and descend down a ramp into the refreshing Lake Erie. Also a Candy Pagoda opened on the peninsula selling a wide range of candies.
Located parallel to the Grand Pavilion, the Switchback Railway was Cedar Point's first roller coaster in 1892. This ride was about twenty-five feet high and reached speeds of ten miles an hour. The ride incorporated two tracks, which ran side by side, one for the ride down and the other for the train to be hauled back to the top. To achieve this, they were hauled back up by muscle power of a ride attendant.
During the next few years, other resorts opened near the vicinity of Cedar Point. One of these new resorts was Johnson's Island, which was only about 10,700 feet away from the Point. This close competition cost the resort a great loss of money and the park itself showed it by falling into cosmetic despair. Luckily, a man named George A. Boeckling would arrive in Sandusky, Ohio, in late 1897. Boeckling became one of Cedar Point's owners in the off season between 1897 and 1898 and didn't waste anytime with his plans of the new Cedar Point. He had the existing buildings at the park repainted and cleaned and added a carousel. By this time, the swimsuits that were available for rental were in need of replacing and sure enough, he had all new ones ordered that year.
After the 1898 season, the park showed a modest profit and even more improvements were made for the 1899 season. The biggest addition was the Bay Shore Hotel, which was built near the pier on the other side of the peninsula. With the success of the Bay Shore, Boeckling had the White House Hotel built next to it. Once the White House opened in 1901, the existing Bay Shore Hotel was turned into a boarding house. The new hotel included two floors of rooms with a restroom on each level. Later they added seventy new rooms, which gave the hotel a grand total of 125 rooms.
Cedar Point's second roller coaster, the Three-Way Figure Eight Roller Toboggan, was built near the beach in 1902. The ride was forty-six feet tall and had eleven cars on its hilly track. After eight years, the ride was removed and the Racer roller coaster took its place. The Sea Swing was also added in 1904 as a ride that let guests sail over Lake Erie as this unusual ride spun riders. Two years later, in 1904, the Crystal Rock Castle opened mid-way between the beach and the pier and sold beer and wine to guests. The building's exterior had the look of a stone castle and the structure itself remained on the peninsula until the early 1960's, when it was intentionally burned. Also that year, the Detroit Dredging Company dredged the lagoons, which were once almost obsolete, into interconnected passageways. In parts of the lagoons, they added lights that lit the area dimly and canoes and rowboats were then used in them.(Page 1 IPage 2 IPage 3 IPage 4 IPage 5 IPage 6 IPage 7 IPage 8 IPage 9 IPage 10 IPage 11)

Home l History l Post Cards l Features l Archives Then & Nowl Lost Rides l Coaster Index l About Us l Links

Copyright © Cedar Point-on-Lake Erie. Please view our Site Notice.
Problems? Questions? Email the Webmaster at webmaster@cedarpointonlakeerie.com