Cedar Point History - 1970's

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1970

Western Cruise entrance relocated from near present day location of Coasters Drive-In to near present day location of Iron Dragon.

CP&LE station relocated from near present day Sky Ride station to its current location.

Cedar Point makes claims to having the largest ride capacity of any amusement park in the country.

"Starlight" pricing - reduced evening admission price - is introduced

Daily pet boarding is introduced

Saturday, 23 May 1970
Cedar Point opens for 101st season.
Saturday, 23 May 1970
Cedar Point celebrates 100th anniversary with 100th medallions given to guests.
Saturday, 23 May 1970
Million Dollar Midway opens
Saturday, 23 May 1970
Centennial Theatre opens
Saturday, 23 May 1970
WildCat opens.
Saturday, 23 May 1970
Tiki Twirl opens.
Saturday, 23 May 1970
Bayern Kurve opens.
Saturday, 23 May 1970
Dodgem II opens.
Saturday, 23 May 1970
Schwabinchen opens.
Saturday, 23 May 1970
Himalaya opens.
Saturday, 23 May 1970
Monster opens.
Saturday, 23 May 1970
Hofbrau opens.
Saturday, 23 May 1970
Bayou Refreshments opens.
Saturday, 23 May 1970
Redesigned and enlarged Kiddieland opens. Cedar Point calls it "largest in the nation."
Saturday, 23 May 1970
A new Calypso opens in the area adjacent to Silver Dollar Cafe
1971

Camper Village opens

Final season for Zugspitze

Tuesday, 19 January 1971
Cedar Point announces it will spend more than $2 million on new attractions for the 1971 season. The highlight is the new Frontier Trail that will connect the Main Midway with Frontiertown. The other new addition is a travel trailer park that would eventually be named Camper Village.
Saturday, 22 May 1971
Cedar Point opens for 102nd season.
Saturday, 22 May 1971
Frontier Trail opens
Saturday, 22 May 1971
Three fiberglass "papereaters," a tiger, a hippopotamus, and a panda bear, debut on the midway as trash receptors.
Saturday, 20 May 1972
Cedar Point opens for 103rd season.
Saturday, 20 May 1972
Giant Wheel opens
Saturday, 20 May 1972
Jumbo Jet opens
Saturday, 20 May 1972
Frontier Carousel opens
Sunday, 10 September 1972
Final day for 1972 operating season
Tuesday, 14 November 1972
Portions of the Cedar Point Chaussee are washed away when storms, high winds and waves pound the shoreline.
1973

Camper Village is expanded.

Final season for ride tickets.

Tuesday, 10 April 1973
Proposed merger of Taft Broadcasting Co. and Cedar Point Inc. is announced.
Saturday, 19 May 1973
Cedar Point opens for 104th season.
Tuesday, 05 June 1973
Taft Broadcasting drops plans to acquire Cedar Point because of poor general market conditions.
Friday, 14 September 1973
First North American Sail and Power Show begins.
Sunday, 16 September 1973
Final day for 1973 operating season
1974

Tramway opens in main parking lot.

Bay Harbor Inn building erected, replacing the old Yacht Club building

Gazebo removed from main midway flower bed and tradition of floral logo design begins with the CP star logo.

First season for pay-one-price admission as Cedar Point's only general admission ticket option.

Sunday, 24 February 1974
Cedar Point, Inc sells Miss Teenage America Pageant to Dr. Pepper.
Saturday, 18 May 1974
Cedar Point opens for 105th season.
Friday, 28 June 1974
Ohio Gov. John Gilligan signs "Patient's Rights Bill," legislation to safeguard rights for mentally challenged, during Governor's Day at Cedar Point.
Monday, 05 August 1974
Cedar Point Inc and Marriott Corp. announce merger agreement
Wednesday, 28 August 1974
Merger of Cedar Point and Marriott Corp is canceled due to unsettled economic and stock market conditions.
Sunday, 15 September 1974
Final day for 1974 operating season
Thursday, 19 December 1974
Cedar Point unveils plans for $15 million amusement park to be located in Cambridge Twp., Michigan.
1975

Cedar Point Cinema opens

The IMAX movie "Man Belongs to the Earth" is shown in the Cedar Point Cinema.

Wednesday, 01 January 1975
Emile A. Legros, chairman of the board of directors of Cedar Point, dies at the age of 69.
Monday, 06 January 1975
Robert Munger is named chairman of the board and CEO of Cedar Point, Inc.
Wednesday, 12 March 1975
Cedar Point president Robert Munger says the company is backing away from the 450 acre site in Cambridge Twp., Michigan as the location of a new amusement park because of opposition from residents.
Saturday, 17 May 1975
Cedar Point opens for 106th season.
Saturday, 17 May 1975
The 500-seat Chartersphere Dome opens at Jungle Larry's African Safari
Thursday, 10 July 1975
An Indiana man is killed near the midway as the result of a lightning strike.
Sunday, 14 September 1975
Final day for 1975 operating season
Wednesday, 29 October 1975
Cedar Point announces $1.75 million Great Lake Erie Roller roller coaster. The ride's name would change and it would open as Corkscrew.
1976

Jungle Larry's African Safari is redesigned and rebuilt

J.W. Addington Mill opens.

Cedar Point sets new attendance record of 3,065,000 guests for the 1976 season.

The IMAX movie "Circus World" is shown in the Cedar Point Cinema.

Tuesday, 23 March 1976
Candle Shop is destroyed by fire. The fire is blamed on a malfunction in a heater in the shop. The shop was rebuilt in time to open for the 1976 season.
Saturday, 15 May 1976
Cedar Point opens for 107th season
Saturday, 15 May 1976
Corkscrew opens as the first roller coaster to feature three inversions
Saturday, 15 May 1976
Troika opens.
Monday, 02 August 1976
Cedar Point announces plans for a $25-$30 million recreation center in Battle Creek, Michigan.
Sunday, 19 September 1976
Final day for 1976 operating season
1977

The IMAX movie "To Fly" is shown in the Cedar Point Cinema.

Bay Harbor Inn opens

George A. Roose retires.

Thursday, 21 April 1977
Cedar Point withdraws from a conditional agreement with the city of Battle Creek, Michigan to purchase 760 acres of land for construction of an amusement park.
Saturday, 14 May 1977
Cedar Point opens for 108th season.
Saturday, 14 May 1977
Witches' Wheel opens
Saturday, 14 May 1977
Dodgem I opens
Saturday, 14 May 1977
The "Cedar Pointers" park characters - Cassie Bassett, Daniel Spaniel and Barney Bulldog - are introduced.
Saturday, 14 May 1977
Hungry Fisherman food stand opens
Saturday, 14 May 1977
Gulliver's Grill food stand opens
Sunday, 19 June 1977
Eight people are injured by flying glass at the Marina Steak House when severe thunderstorms, with winds of up to 70mph, move across the park
Thursday, 30 June 1977
A tornado strikes the northwest tip of the Cedar Point peninsula. It moved across Frontiertown and Camper Village and then out over Lake Erie. Five rides were damaged including Shoot-the-Rapids, CP&LE Railroad, and the Cedar Creek Mine Ride. The storm hit at 7:45pm and, although the park was open, all rides were shut down. At Camper Village, 15 cars were damaged or destroyed and, in Frontiertown, several dozen trees were uprooted. Also in Frontiertown several buildings were damaged including the Jitney Arcade and the Emporium. A portion of trees that were scheduled to be removed for the construction of Gemini were also uprooted. The park opened the next day with 50 of the 55 rides operated and Frontier Town closed. A total of 15 people were injured. The storm caused a total of $250,000 in damage.
Saturday, 16 July 1977
Mine Ride reopens after being closed when a tornado damaged the ride on June 30.
Sunday, 18 September 1977
Final day for 1977 operating season
Saturday, 24 September 1977
Directors of Cedar Point, Inc. approve a record $5,200,000 capital appropriations budget for the 1978 season. Improvements will include completion of a new midway (Gemini Midway) connecting the Main Midway to Frontiertown, new rides and attractions.
Tuesday, 25 October 1977
Cedar Point announces plans for the world's highest, steepest and fastest roller coaster. The ride was not yet named at the time of the announcement, but would soon be called Gemini.
Tuesday, 08 November 1977
Cedar Point announces total attendance for the 1977 season was 2,868,000.
1978

Gemini Midway opens connecting former Corkscrew Midway to Frontiertown

Cedar Point purchases Valleyfair in Shakopee, Minn.

Final season for Jumbo Jet

The IMAX movie "North of Superior" is shown in the Cedar Point Cinema.

Final season for original WildCat.

Monday, 13 February 1978
Cedar Point, Inc announces purchase of Seven Seas chain of retail gift stores.
Saturday, 13 May 1978
Cedar Point opens for 109th season.
Saturday, 17 June 1978
Gemini opens as the tallest, fastest, and steepest roller coaster in the world
Friday, 30 June 1978
First annual CoasterMania is held. Approximately 140 people attended the event, which ran through July 2. It was sponsored by Cedar Point and the popular culture department of Bowling Green State University.
Sunday, 17 September 1978
Final day for 1978 operating season
Friday, 08 December 1978
Cedar Point announces 1979 capital improvement plan, highlighted by the Wave Swinger, Jr. Gemini and a new version of the WildCat.
1979

The state of Ohio purchases land surrounding the first Cedar Point road from the estate of Dr. Dean Sheldon and establishes Sheldon's Marsh State Nature Preserve.

The IMAX movie "Man Belongs to the Earth" is shown in the Cedar Point Cinema.

Tuesday, 02 January 1979
A two-month strike by three plumbers and 175 skilled trades employees at Cedar Point ends with a direct agreement between the amusement park and the plumbers.
Monday, 23 April 1979
Robert Munger, Jr. elected chairman of the board of Cedar Point, Inc.
Saturday, 12 May 1979
Cedar Point opens for 110th season.
Saturday, 12 May 1979
Gemini Gifts opens. The store is currently named Joe Cool's Corner Store
Saturday, 12 May 1979
Happy Friar opens
Saturday, 12 May 1979
Gemini Children's Area opens
Saturday, 12 May 1979
Gemini Arcade opens
Saturday, 12 May 1979
Gemini Games Area opens
Saturday, 12 May 1979
Jr. Gemini opens
Saturday, 12 May 1979
Wave Swinger opens
Saturday, 12 May 1979
A new model WildCat opens located next to Space Spiral
Saturday, 12 May 1979
The "You Must Be This Tall" boy is replaced by individual character signs created by Debbie Klonk, an employee of the Cedar Point's Planning and Design department. There were initially five signs on display.
Sunday, 16 September 1979
Final day for 1979 operating season