Chippewa Lake finally coming down

Wow! Those are amazing pics, Chitown! I didn't know so much demolition had already been done!

I don't know of anyone who actually got arrested. When I was there in 2002 I ran into several of the locals and I asked them if it was OK to take photos. They didn't seem to care. I didn't stay long and didn't try to mess with anything or get hurt by doing something stupid. I am surprised nobody has gotten hurt already, or have they? Most of those buildings and especially the wooden coaster weren't exactly the safest places to stand around.

It was obvious that the park was vandalized over and over. I saw tons of trash, beer cans/bottles, and signs of bonfires all over the place. I am guessing the locals got tired of too many late night partiers, which is understandable. I am sure the locals are glad that won't be happening anymore!

It was quite an experience. It was sad and exciting all at the same time. These are my photos from 2002. They are not the best quality but this was right before I went digital. ;) My favorite pic is the one of the turnstile.

-Tina

Chippewa was another small Family Park similar to Geauga Lake at the time. Big Dipper, or Coaster as it was called in the later years, was my first coaster and had some great air time. They also had a Schiff Wild Mouse that came from Geauga Lake in the early 70’s. Most of their attendance was from company and ethnic picnics like the aforementioned Italian Day. Jungle Larry also called Chippewa his home in the early 60’s after he left Puritis Springs. Later in the 60’s he went to Cedar Point where he stayed until 1994.

The Chippewa Tumble Bug is in surprisingly good condition. It has been discussed that it might be rebuilt and reconstructed on the property as a working ride. The Ferris Wheel however is in pretty bad shape and may be re-erected as some sort of monument.

There isn't all that much to an Eli Wheel, wouldn't take all that much to bring it back, the single most expensive item would be new tubs. I doubt that anyone would be interested, tho, as there has been a glut of older wheels on the market for a while.

My family spent a day at Chippewa back in the 60's when it was in full swing. I'm not sure why we went there- my Dad (who was notoriously cheap) made it clear that we weren't there for rides, but just to look around, and riding would be saved for our annual visit to Cedar Point. Very frustrating for a young enthusiast, but I got my fill of looking, and I remember thinking that the rides (Caterpillar, Bug, Swingin Gym, Circle Swing and the like) were very commonplace and outdated anyway. If only they were around for us to enjoy today!

I wasn't much of a coaster rider then and the big Coaster seemed huge and scary. The funhouse seemed intimidating and off limits as well. The other thing I remember vividly was the ferris wheel near the lake that was billed as "worlds fastest". I'd guess it was the same Eli piece we see all dilapidated in the most recent photos. Anyway, fast was an understatement! I was terrified just to see the cars flying around Rock-O-Plane style, only with standard seats instead of cages. They never turned all the way over, but seemed to come awfully close. Over the top of the wheel the seats pitched way forward with the riders facing the ground-then rocked way back again so they faced the sky for the trip down around the bottom. Each time the wheel stopped to load/unload the cars rocked violently! I remember watching some boys trying to rock their seat even harder.

No, we were Cedar Point Only - I never got to Geauga until the 70's when I was on my own with a car, and my Euclid Beach visits were courtesy of a buddy's family who would drag me along on their company picnic day. My dad was probably visiting Chippewa that day to look at boats (always wanted one-never bought one), or maybe a cottage (same). But i'm grateful for that weird day and the memories.