From Melissa Donahue on March 17, 2013 at 9:39 AM
Very well-written and informative, James. Thank you for sharing all of this history with us!

From James Koehl on March 17, 2013 at 9:43 AM
Thank you, Melissa. There are a bunch of supporting photos that I hope Robert will be able to post along with the article. Check back soon!

From Mike Gallagher on March 17, 2013 at 10:14 AM
Thanks for the article, Jim. Great stuff. One of the reasons CP is my favorite park is the arcade you mentioned, although I wasn't familiar with the Coliseum. On my 2nd visit, I was on my way out to the parking lot around 8pm, discovered that arcade, and didn't emerge until I was two hours older and about $20 poorer. I always pop in there for some pinball, Pac-Man and Frogger. Also, the water fountain outside is one of the three or four really cold ones in the park.

From Rob Pastor on March 17, 2013 at 10:22 AM
James: Excellent article that brought back a lot of good memories. I lived within an easy 45 minute drive to the park in the early 70's when I was district manager of a large electronics chain. My wife at the time , and I , visited the park often, sometimes even weekly during the summer months. At that time Cedar Point was echoing a lot of what Disneyland was doing. I really enjoyed their early Ohio frontier re-enactment area and the riverboat through the interior island marshland. The western town had also just opened then with their mine rides and nearby was the olde Cedar Point town hall and museum.They also had some good shows & show buildings, circa early 1900's era, in the front of the park. It may be hard to believe, but Cedar Point only had a single coaster besides the mine ride in the park. I imagine the Disney copying didn't increase attendance enough since in the 80's they abandoned most of that concept and re-invented the park as the coaster capital of the world. In place of all of the green wooded areas, waterway, and marshland is now basically a lot of concrete. But the setting of the park is one of the most beautiful imaginable. And for coaster enthusiasts, this may well be the best park in the world, since the coasters are many and the ambiance of the peninsula jutting into Lake Erie is truly amazing. If you are a lover of coasters, this park is a must do.

From Robert Niles on March 17, 2013 at 11:36 AM
Is everyone seeing the photos? They've been up with the piece the whole time, so if anyone else isn't seeing them, I'd like to track down why. Thanks.

From James Rao on March 17, 2013 at 11:41 AM
Wonderful! I love that you were able to write an amazing article about this terrific park and not fill it with pictures of iron and steel. History and location are two of the most important things about Cedar Point in my mind, and have been too often neglected by various management teams running the park. I am hopeful that Matt Ouimet's previous life as a Disney park manager will translate into even more of a focus on the nostalgia and history of The Point. It is great to build innovative new thrill rides, but when that feat can be accomplished while still maintaining the park's rich history, it is the visitors and fans that reap the ultimate benefit of a well-rounded and immersive theme park experience.

Great stuff, James, thank you for sharing.

(And yes, Robert, I can see all the photos).

From Mike Gallagher on March 17, 2013 at 11:43 AM
The only photo I saw was of Mr. Koehl himself.

From Rob Pastor on March 17, 2013 at 12:04 PM
Can't see the photos either.

From Robert Niles on March 17, 2013 at 12:27 PM
If you can't see the photos, are you on a PC? Because they're showing on all browsers I use under Mac and iOS. Thanks.

From Todd Donahue on March 17, 2013 at 1:20 PM
All the pics show up on both my mac and my iPhone. Great article about one of my favorite parks. I know Orlando is the theme park capitol of the world but this park always leaves me with a great feeling when I visit. The history, nostalgia, coasters, and great comfort food keep me coming back year after year. It's great to have these articles about this park and others not in Orlando and won't bankrupt you by going halfway across the world to visit. I plan to visit Silver Dollar and Busch Garden Williamsburg in the next 5 to 10 years as well as other non Orlando parks. Of course I'm still going to go to Orlando for the theme parks. It's just that this site has edged me a little closer to visiting the other locations by its articles of late.

Side note, in my post on the forum someone accused me of being Rob Pastor. I was born in 1977 so unless I am some sort of mega Dougie Houser where I was married at the age of two, worked a full time job, and went on coasters .....this is not possible.

From Rob Pastor on March 17, 2013 at 1:23 PM
They're showing now. I'm on a PC.

From Mike Gallagher on March 17, 2013 at 2:38 PM
^^Ditto.

From Robert Niles on March 17, 2013 at 4:20 PM
Thanks for your patience, everyone. Important reminder for me today on the need to define heights and widths on *all* photos in a post's code!

From 62.7.90.195 on March 18, 2013 at 4:58 AM
Thank you James; what a wonderful article! It's great to learn more about the park's history - as a Brit I'll admit to not having known quite how far back its origins stretched. I'm hoping to check it all out for myself in 2014!

Katie

From Mark Kausch on March 18, 2013 at 6:42 AM
Thanks, James. I very much enjoyed this article on a park that I've only had the privilege to visit once.

From 71.178.217.74 on March 22, 2013 at 10:01 AM
"The Breakers has seen many changes in the years since it first welcomed guests to Cedar Point."

Yeah, except I think they are still using the original beds. Worst beds ever.