Geauga Lake (lake) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Geauga Lake |
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 Geauga Lake
Location in Ohio
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| Location | Portage County, Ohio |
| Coordinates | 41°21′00″N 81°22′41″W / 41.3500°N 81.3780°W |
| Type | lake |
Geauga Lake (jee-AW-gə) is a natural lake in Northeast Ohio, United States. It was first known as Picnic Lake. The lake sits on the border between the city of Aurora in Portage County and Bainbridge Township in Geauga County. It is located near the big city of Cleveland.
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Exploring Geauga Lake's Past
Geauga Lake was originally called Picnic Lake. Many early settlers made their homes around this beautiful lake. Today, there is a city park and ballfields in Aurora named after the lake. Geauga Lake is very deep and has pure, clean water. It is also the starting point for Tinker's Creek, which flows into the Cuyahoga River.
How the Lake Became a Fun Place
In 1817, a man named Sullivan Giles built his log cabin by the lake. Later, he built a larger home there. When the railroad arrived in 1856, it even had a stop called "pond station" near the lake.
Sullivan Giles saw how special the lake was. In 1887, he opened an amusement park there. It had picnic areas, a dance hall, and other fun things to do. People from nearby towns and tourists came by train to visit.
Amusement Park Adventures
Just two years later, the park added its first amusement ride. Soon after, more attractions appeared. These included a roller skating rink, a photo gallery, a billiard hall, and a bowling alley. The old bowling alley building is still standing today. The roller rink building is also still there and is sometimes called "the old ballroom." The amusement park kept running until it closed in 2007. However, a water park called Geauga Lake's Wildwater Kingdom opened in 2005 and stayed open until 2016.
Hotels and Ice Harvesting
In 1888, a large hotel called the Kent House Hotel was built on a hill by the lake. It later became known as Hotel Grace. This hotel had a fantastic ballroom on its third floor where people loved to dance. Sadly, the hotel was destroyed by a fire many years ago.
The Cleveland Ice company also had buildings here. They would collect thousands of tons of ice from the lake each winter. This ice was then sent to Cleveland to be sold during the warmer months.
Sports and Steamboats
In the summer of 1888, professional baseball games were even played at the park. The Cleveland Forest Citys, a major league team, played several games there.
At that time, a large steamboat would travel around the lake. It would pull a big flat boat with a dance floor on top! This steamboat was first owned by William Banford and Rowe Fuller. Later, the Kent family bought it. In 1907, the steamboat was moved by train to Brady Lake near Kent.
