Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Silver Lake Park
    Silver Lake Park
    Silver Lake Park
    Ebook185 pages56 minutes

    Silver Lake Park

    By Mary L. McClure

    4/5

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    From modest beginnings as a local swimming and fishing spot, Silver Lake Park, established by Ralph H. Lodge in the 1870s, quickly grew to become one of northeast Ohio s most popular amusement parks. Thanks to its many exciting offerings, which included two roller coasters, a miniature railway, a merry-go-round, a dance pavilion, water toboggans, steamboat rides, live animal exhibits, and many other unique features, the park attracted up to 10,000 to 20,000 visitors a day from across Ohio and surrounding states. Always anxious to add new and thrilling attractions to the park, the Lodge family also introduced features described as the first public aquarium in the state of Ohio and the first aviation field in Summit County. In later years, the park added a popular Chautauqua, bringing the leading musical acts, entertainers, and orators of the day to the community.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateApr 7, 2014
    ISBN9781439642634
    Silver Lake Park
    Author

    Mary L. McClure

    Local author Mary McClure has spent several years visiting area libraries and historical societies researching this fascinating park, which operated from the mid-1870s to 1917 and was dubbed by some as the �Coney Island of the West.�

    Related to Silver Lake Park

    Related ebooks

    Photography For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      In Season

      Jun 3, 2023

      In Season
      4 min read

    • Article

      Why We Love THE EAST COAST

      May 26, 2021

      Why We Love THE EAST COAST
      9 min read

    • Article

      13 Things To Do In 2020

      Dec 24, 2019

      13 Things To Do In 2020
      9 min read

    • Article

      The Southern Agenda

      Jan 15, 2024

      The Southern Agenda
      10 min read

    • Article

      Cape Charles, Virginia

      Nov 10, 2020

      Cape Charles, Virginia
      3 min read

    • Article

      Scarborough fair!

      Aug 19, 2021

      Duration Four nights When August 2020 Why? Traditional seaside holiday with plenty to keep the whole family entertained Scarborough bills itself as Britain’s first resort, dating right back to the 17th century, and there’s plenty of evidence to indic

      6 min read

    • Article

      As Adirondack As It Gets

      Jun 23, 2022

      As Adirondack As It Gets
      8 min read

    • Article

      Way Out West

      Jul 18, 2023

      Way Out West
      3 min read

    • Article

      Seasonal Color By Land And Sea

      Sep 30, 2021

      Seasonal Color By Land And Sea
      2 min read

    • Article

      Rocky Rocks

      Nov 3, 2021

      Rocky Rocks
      6 min read

    • Article

      The Hidden Keys

      Jan 16, 2023

      The Hidden Keys
      7 min read

    • Article

      Mississippi Highlights

      Feb 10, 2022

      Named for one of the local Indian tribes, Quapaw Outfitters’ main operation is in Clarksdale but has two other outposts on the Lower Mississippi River. This outfitter organises bespoke paddling/canoeing expeditions. They sell and rent canoes, accesso

      2 min read

    • Article

      Clarence Cruising

      Mar 17, 2020

      Clarence Cruising
      12 min read

    • Article

      Scarborough FAIR!

      Aug 5, 2021

      Scarborough FAIR!
      5 min read

    • Article

      Hot List

      Nov 14, 2019

      Hot List
      8 min read

    • Article

      Everybody Knows The Frio

      Jun 18, 2019

      Everybody Knows The Frio
      7 min read

    • Article

      Wild and Three

      Feb 11, 2020

      Wild and Three
      6 min read

    • Article

      California

      Jul 20, 2023

      California
      22 min read

    • Article

      Nothing to Fear

      Feb 15, 2022

      Nothing to Fear
      3 min read

    • Article

      Top End Adventure

      Feb 27, 2024

      Top End Adventure
      6 min read

    • Article

      Exploring Yuraygir

      May 11, 2022

      Exploring Yuraygir
      6 min read

    • Article

      Head For The Foot-hills

      May 28, 2021

      Head For The Foot-hills
      12 min read

    • Article

      Watching The River Flow

      Dec 1, 2021

      Watching The River Flow
      6 min read

    • Article

      Going Green

      Jun 1, 2023

      Nothing screams summer like a long day spent out on the water. With 40 miles of river, and nine access sites, Harpeth River State Park provides just that. Roughly a 30-minute drive will get you to the river, which everyone from beginners to advanced

      3 min read

    • Article

      Go Coastal In Connecticut

      Feb 15, 2022

      Go Coastal In Connecticut
      5 min read

    • Article

      Best-kept Secret

      Aug 25, 2021

      Best-kept Secret
      6 min read

    • Article

      Going Green

      Jun 1, 2022

      Going Green
      3 min read

    • Article

      Gone Fishin’

      Aug 12, 2019

      Gone Fishin’
      5 min read

    • Article

      Bp24 – Tasman

      Dec 20, 2023

      Bp24 – Tasman
      1 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Silver Lake Park

    4/5

    1 rating0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Silver Lake Park - Mary L. McClure

      Park.

      INTRODUCTION

      When 16-year-old Ralph Lodge told his father he hoped one day to be able to buy the beautiful body of water now known as Silver Lake, his father, George, smiled, thinking it was a boyhood whim. When, 28 years later, Ralph did buy the lake and announced plans to create a park along its shores, some area residents thought it was a fanciful dream. And when Ralph began planting 1,000 maple trees on his new property to beautify the grounds, local farmers shook their heads, thinking he was ruining good farmland.

      In the end, however, it was Ralph Lodge and his family who had the last laugh when the modest summer resort he established grew to become one of Ohio’s best loved amusement parks. With several dozen rides and attractions ranging from roller coasters, a merry-go-round, miniature railway, and water toboggans to swimming, boating, camping, live animal exhibits, a popular Chautauqua series, an early aviation field, and one of the largest dance floors in the area, Silver Lake Park soon became the Coney Island of the West.

      Ralph Lodge’s dream to buy Silver Lake began in 1846, when Ralph and his father, George H. Lodge, were performing masonry work on a Stow Township home owned by the Thorndyke family. After completing the day’s work, father and son would cross the road and enjoy a cool, relaxing dip in Silver Lake, which was then known as Stow Lake or Wetmore’s Pond. It was then that Ralph first mentioned his desire to purchase the lake and live along its shores.

      Many years later, after having established a successful career as a market gardener in Cleveland, Ralph returned to the area for a visit, and his interest in the lake was rekindled. As a result, in 1874, he purchased the 100-acre Silver Lake and approximately 35 acres on its southwest shores. Two years later, he moved his wife and family to their new homestead and began setting out a number of crops. Initially, those farming operations were the family’s primary source of income. However, in the meantime, Lodge saw the potential to generate additional income by offering boating, fishing, swimming, or picnic privileges at the lake.

      At the start, Lodge’s hopes for this enterprise were relatively modest. He told his father he could see the time when he might earn as much as $100 a day from his resort. Little did he know that during the park’s peak years in the early 1900s, Silver Lake Park would grow to encompass approximately 600 acres, generate $2,000 to $5,000 a day, and employ approximately 100 to 150 people. A model of self-sufficiency, the park would also go on establish its own bakery, garden, police force, electric plant, and water and sewage systems.

      In its early years, however, Silver Lake Park’s operations were far more modest. According to Ralph Lodge’s son William, attendance at the park was initially so erratic that the man who operated the refreshment stand often didn’t bother to open for the day. Fortunately, those slow days did not last, and attendance figures steadily climbed as more area schools, churches, and businesses chose Silver Lake as their preferred destination for picnics and reunions.

      The park received its next major boost in the early 1880s, as railway lines established additional excursion stops down the road at Cuyahoga Falls. Up to that time, the beauties of Silver Lake Park were primarily known to local residents. However, thanks to the popularity of the High Bridge Glens and Caves park, the Cleveland, Akron & Columbus (CA&C) Railway announced it was establishing an excursion stop/platform at Cuyahoga Falls for travelers wishing to visit the Glens. According to William Lodge, after the CA&C stop was added, many out-of-town visitors who came to see the Glens or nearby Gaylord’s Grove heard about how lovely Silver Lake was and made the 1.5-mile carriage ride to enjoy that park’s amenities. Upon returning home, those excursionists told their friends about Silver Lake, raising the park’s visibility throughout the state and creating a spike in tourism that made it feasible for Ralph Lodge to consider investing in additional improvements at his park.

      By 1884, Lodge was well on his way to achieving his initial goal; Fourth of July receipts were $50.

      During the park’s first two decades, the Lodges added a number of features and activities for their visitors’ enjoyment, including dining and dance halls, a bathhouse and diving table, steamboat rides, rowboats, water toboggans, a merry-go-round, a shooting gallery, and goldfish ponds. In addition, guests could participate in camping, fishing, swimming, and baseball and purchase items from the park’s refreshment stands or seashell souvenir shop.

      Other improvements included a stone icehouse and one of the first attractions at the park’s menagerie: an American bald eagle.

      While the eagle exhibit was one of the first menagerie attractions, it was by no means the last. In 1888, Ralph Lodge received two black bear cubs, Patrick and Topsy, which were featured in the park’s bear pits. Over the years, the bruin family grew, with a total of 78 cubs being raised at the park. At that time, raising black bears in captivity was considered such a rare feat that the Smithsonian Institution documented the park’s techniques in a 1904 publication.

      The bears were not the only animals on display at the park. The menagerie grew to include elk, deer, raccoons, monkeys, spotted lynx, pumas, Belgian hares, pigeons, squirrels, Canadian porcupines, anteaters, wolves, goats, woodchucks, owls, beavers, swans, alligators, and more.

      Keeping pace with technology, the park also had telephone service installed—its phone number was 49.

      In addition to rides and attractions, the park

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1