CLP Junction, The Unofficial Guide To Conneaut Lake Park

1890's

August 15, 1892 -- Exposition Park opens featuring a convention hall, beach and the Echo Hotel.

1893 -- Exposition Hotel, auditorium and 2 exhibition halls added.

1899 -- First Ride, a steam powered carousel manufactured by the T.M. Harton Company

1900's

1902 -- First roller coaster, the "3 Way Figure 8 Toboggan Slide", later renamed "Figure 8"

1906 -- Hotel Virginia opens

1908 -- Fire detroys Hotels Bismarck, Park, Puritan & Colonial. Also lost in the fire are the Old Mill, dance hall, Figure Eight coaster, boat landing, bowling alley, and three other hotels.

1909 -- New Figure Eight coaster, new bowling alley, and the Dreamland ballroom built to replace buildings lost in the fire. Scenic Railway built in the area currently occupied by the Blue Streak.


1910's

1910 -- The park's current carousel is built

1920's

1920 -- Name of the park officially changed to Conneaut Lake Park

1922 -- Figure Eight coaster modernized and renamed the Jack Rabbit

1923 -- Dodgem built

1925 -- Tumble Bug built

1927-1933 -- Trolley service to the park ends & the Great Depression puts the future of the park in doubt until it is bought by People's Pittsburgh Trust for $35,000

1930's

1934 -- New water system including the 130ft water tower installed

1935 -- Beach Club built

1936 -- Boardwalk built

1938 -- Blue Streak Built by Ed Vettel on the site of the Scenic Railway coaster

1940's

1943 -- Fire destroys half of the Hotel Conneaut

1945 -- Hotel Conneaut re-opens with it's current 133 rooms

1949 -- Tilt-A-Whirl and Ferris Wheel added

1950's

1950 -- Crazy Maze installed in the former bowling alley taking the place of the Castle of Fun

1954 -- Kiddie roller coaster added to Kiddieland

1960's

1960 -- Fairyland Forest built

1961 -- Wild Mouse built, Crazy Maze converted to fun house

1962 -- Jungle Cruise built in canals behind the Blue Streak. Its animated jungle scenes were modeled after the Disneyland ride of the same name.

1968 -- Devil's Den built

1970's

1972 -- Paddle wheel boat tours of the lake on the Barbara J begin

1974 -- New dark ride, Pit of Death installed in the former Cuddle-Up building

1975 -- Pit of Death renamed Dracula's Cave

1976 -- Ultimate Trip, an indoor scrambler with lights & music replaces the fun house in the old bowling alley building.

1980's

1981 -- Paratrooper and Yo Yo added

1982 -- Water Rampage slide added on the lake. Renovation of Hotel Conneaut begins

1983 -- Trabant removed

1986 -- Cliffhanger Falls and Splash City Waterpark open in the spot previously occupied by the giant slide and Dracula's Cave. Camperland constructed on the former site of Fairyland Forest.

1989 -- 19 Antique carousel horses auctioned to raise money to restore the carousel. The horses were replaced with hand carved wooden figures from Carousel Works of Mansfield, Ohio.

1990's

1990 -- Admission and parking fees are implemented in an attempt to increase profits and receive a negative response from the public. Water Rampage slide removed.

1991 -- Wild Mouse, Ferris Wheel, Twister, Sea Dragon & Round-Up sold. Otter Creek River Adventure opens, Dreamland ballroom re-opens

1992-1994 -- Many of the rides are auctioned including the Spider and the Whip, the park is sold, attendance declines. After 2 seasons and over $1 million in losses the new owners file for bankruptcy.

1995 -- For the first time in 103 years, the park fails to open for the summer season.

July 4, 1996 -- Conneaut Lake Park re-opens under new ownership.

1997 -- CLP purchases 5 rides from the now closed Old Indiana Fun Park. The rides were the Super Round-Up, Flying Scooters, Bumper Cars, Ranger (Sky Thriller) and a Chance Turbo. The Turbo was never installed due to a dispute over ownership. The Blue Streak is renovated.

1999 -- The Scrambler is moved back into the fun house bulding and becomes the Ultimate Trip once again.

2000's

2001 -- Dodgem cars replaced with bumper cars. The Music Express is added to the park's ride line-up. The Sky Thriller was removed at the end of the season due to repeated mechanical problems. The Barbara J paddlewheel boat is retired.

2002 -- Toboggan coaster added on the lawn near the lake. Near the end of the summer the NAD Century Flyer trains on the Blue Streak are replaced by the coaster's original Vettel trains. The lighter trains reduce wear on the classic coaster.

2005 -- A judge approves the business plan allowing the park to open for the summer, ending years of legal battles regarding the ownership of the park and it's rides. Due to a partial roof collapse the Scrambler is moved out of it's building. Mechanical problems are discovered during the move and the ride does not operate for '05. Also, the park's miniature train ride, Yo-Yo, Witch's Stew and Tumble Bug are not in operation this year. Camperland, the Beach Club and the Midway Games are leased to raise the funds needed to open the park on time.

2006 -- The park begins the "Brick-by-Brick" fundraising campaign to pay for repairs to the track of it's miniature train ride. The ride reopened on July 2. The Tumble Bug ride reopened less than a week later on July 8 following years of donations and repairs. The Kaylee Belle becomes the first sightseeing paddlewheel boat to operate on the lake in 5 years. The Witch's Stew ride returns to the park following a 4 year absence.

2007 -- On May 22, 2007 Conneaut Lake Park officials announced that the park would not open for the summer. The sale of 3.3 acres of park property to developer Greg Sutterlin was denied at the last minute by Crawford County Court of Common Pleas Judge Anthony Vardaro. Without the proceeds from the sale the park did not have the funds needed to open. Following the announcement court appointed custodian LeRoy Stearns petitioned the court to be removed from his position. A new park board was appointed by the court and fundraising efforts began in an attempt to open parts of the park. In August the Beach Club and Down Under Bar opened and Hotel Coneaut was open briefly. The rest of the park did not operate in 2007.

2008 -- On February 1 the Dreamland ballroom was destroyed by a fire that also wiped out storage and maintenance areas on the first floor of the building. A section of midway buildings from the ballroom to the skee-ball arcade was also lost in the fire. On April 6 the old bowling alley and ultimate trip bulding collapsed. Scenes from the movie The Road starring Viggo Mortensen were filmed at the park using the remains of both buildings as backdrops. On July 28 a deal was announced that would lease Hotel Conneaut, the Beach Club and other portions of the park to Park Restorations LLC. The plan would allow parts of the park to be opened again and restored. In August the Beach Club and Hotel Conneaut reopened.

2009 -- On April 14 it was announced that most of the park's rides would be running again that summer. A deal had been reached with Lisko & Sons Amusements out of Lowellville, Ohio to lease and operate the park's rides. However, the Blue Streak coaster did not operate in 2009. The water park rides reopened in time for the July 4th weekend. A project to restore the park's boardwalk started in June.

2010's

2010 -- On January 25 the park announced a campaign to restore the Blue Streak coaster to operating condition. Work was done during the summer to repair & restore the coaster. On September 2, 2010 the Blue Streak re-opened to the public following a successful bid to win a $50,000 grant from the Pepsi Refresh Project. The park's rides were leased and operated by Lisko & Sons for the second year.

2011 -- In May it was announced that Swank's Steel City Shows would be leasing and operating the park rides for the 2011 season. During the summer a few portable rides were added by Swank's to the parks lineup (Fun Slide, Go-Gator, Jitterbug, and Jumpin' Star). The Tumble Bug reopened following repairs and the Roll-O-Plane was removed. More work was done on the Blue Streak coaster.

 

 

This website is not affiliated with Conneaut Lake Park and is not intended to replace the park's official website. All information provided is for entertainment purposes only and is not guaranteed to be completely accurate. © 2015 All Rights Reserved

History Links News Photo Gallery Rides Forum