edboxer Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 So I was going through some old photo albums, came across these and decided to post them. The first set is from a trip to Cedar Point in July of 1977. In 1977 Cedar Point had 5 rollercoasters - the Blue Streak, the Wildcat, the Jumbo Jet, Cedar Creek Mine Ride and the Corkscrew. The second set is a trip to Geauga Lake in August 1977 - opening season of the Double Loop! FYI, all pics were taken with an original 1966 Kodak Instamatic 104 camera. It has been 30+ years, so the color has faded. A ride on the Geauga Lake Double Loop Oh, by the way - the Gemini was under construction! Going up the circular lift on the JUMBO JET (I'm in the back seat - Jeff's in the front looking back) The JUMBO JET!!! Used to be near the entrance Mary's first ride on a rollercoaster - the Blue Streak. She was thrilled!! Teresa and Carol driving the cars! Derby Downs in the background. Posing in the stockade on the Frontier Trail (I'm in the middle) - I had a head and hair in this pic!! Wearing a pair of Indian Leather Toe sandles Getting drenched on the old Frontier Town water ride that had a double down! Maverick stands there today. Going up the second chain lift on the Mine Ride. Look at all those trees!! And not another coaster in sight! Back then the only ways to get to Frontier Town were the Frontier Trail, the train or the second sky ride that used to run from right about where Iron Dragon is to the restrooms next to the Mine Ride. The walk to Gemini didn't exist! It was all trees. Into every Cedar Point day, a little rain must fall (Blue Streak in the distance) This is what happened when we asked someone to take a pic of the group. That's me in top row on the left in the blue tank top without a head The old log flume with the Blue Streak in the background. Raptor is there now. The Giant Wheel and the train Part of the group on the train The CP Train Loading the group into Mary's Station Wagon and driving from Youngstown, Ohio to Cedar Point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 Wow! Great pictures! I love this kind of stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HPCrazy Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 Wow, what great photo memories! I'll be going back to Cedar Point this August again for my second time so these are just getting me all hyped up! By the way, I recognized that Jumbo Jet. I have a pic of it in my book, "The American Rollercoaster". Do you (or anyone else here) know when it was removed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FeelTheFORCE Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 Thanks for sharing! Awesome pictures! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowieP Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 Great vintage photos, man. My father has some at his house of the family going to Cedar Point in 1975, before I was born. They also include the old slide that used to be there. I used to love that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoastersNSich Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 The first set is from a trip to Cedar Point in July of 1977. In 1977 Cedar Point had 4 rollercoasters - the Blue Streak, the Wildcat, the Jumbo Jet and the Corkscrew. You forgot Cedar Creek Mine Ride (1969). I must add, wonderful pictures! I surely miss the GL Double Loop! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edboxer Posted May 13, 2009 Author Share Posted May 13, 2009 The first set is from a trip to Cedar Point in July of 1977. In 1977 Cedar Point had 4 rollercoasters - the Blue Streak, the Wildcat, the Jumbo Jet and the Corkscrew. You forgot Cedar Creek Mine Ride (1969). Oops, thanks I corrected it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olsor Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 Awesome pictures, Ed! I love the last picture of Double Loop, where you can see how curves on Arrow rides weren't very circular. And it still blows my mind to see old pictures of a very wooded Cedar Point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CP_RULES Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 Wow those are some great pictures! Seeing Gemini go up must have been pretty exciting and intimidating... wasn't it the tallest coaster in the world when it was built? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
downunder Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 Thanks for the photos, they were fascinating. It's so cool to look at the historical stuff, I remember looking at the photos in the hallways of Hotel Breakers. There was one photo that really freaked us, it was early 1900's and it looked like a wave swinger except it was in the water on the beach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carnage Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 You know, I got this feeling that I had seen one of the double loop pics before. I just couldn't put my finger on it. Then I realized it was your avatar I had seen it in before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
griffon Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 That must have been awesome seeing Gemini under construction. Crazy how it is overshadowed today but probably seemed massive back then. Cool report Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanthonyam Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 Why did Cedar Point remove Jumbo Jet and keep Wildcat? JJ seems the more exciting and thrilling of the two. Where these rides hard to maintain? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edboxer Posted May 14, 2009 Author Share Posted May 14, 2009 To answer several of the questions posed above: Re: Jumbo Jet - The Jumbo Jet was closed in 1978. It really wasn't that great of a ride and it had pitiful ride capacity. It took about two minutes to go up that sloooooow circular lift. And then the ride itself was less than 30 seconds and somewhat shaky and rough. Wildcat was and still is a better ride. Re: Gemini - yeah it was cool seeing it begin built and realizing how many trees had been removed to clear the land for it. It was the tallest coaster in the world when it opened, at a mere 125 feet. We rode it in 78 and the first time looking down the first drop was an incredible thrill at that time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emiroo Posted May 14, 2009 Share Posted May 14, 2009 Fantastic TR! Let's get more of this old school stuff! I have got to make the trip to my Mom's house. I know she has a stack of Opryland photos from around 1983 and quite a few from Disneyland in the early 70s hidden somewhere... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrillrideseeker Posted May 14, 2009 Share Posted May 14, 2009 Amazing photos! I love looking at old pictures and seeing what parks were like way back in the day!! ~Matthew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yeti762 Posted May 14, 2009 Share Posted May 14, 2009 Thank you for sharing these! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pianojohn Posted May 14, 2009 Share Posted May 14, 2009 Ah, memories! I need to dig out my old CP pics now! The flume ride in Frontiertown was called Shoot the Rapids. We used to call it Shoot the Rabbits! It was awesome. A mostly wood trough and wood boats with a double down at the end. So many great memories of the park back before it got all corporate!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edboxer Posted May 14, 2009 Author Share Posted May 14, 2009 The flume ride in Frontiertown was called Shoot the Rapids. We used to call it Shoot the Rabbits! It was awesome. A mostly wood trough and wood boats with a double down at the end. Yeah, it was a great ride with no restraints whatsoever! (insert appropriate Jack-Ass disclaimer) We used to get thrown off it at least once year. When the boat was going through its trough circuit through the trees before the lift, we'd rearrange ourselves so the two people in the front seat were leaning out over the front of the boat, the two people in the middle seat moved in back of them in the front seat, and then the two in the back seat moved up to the middle seat, but held onto the back of the front seat. Very front heavy!!! When you went down the first drop of the double down, the boat would hit the water, the water would go straight up in the air, and the ride ops would have to push the boat to get it to the edge so it could go down the second half of the double down. Of course we all got soaked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenaapple1974 Posted May 14, 2009 Share Posted May 14, 2009 edboxer, Awesome pics! Thank you for sharing! I totally love looking at parks back in the day. This is one park that I wish I have been to... one day. Emiroo - I hope you post those old pics! Esp Disneyland. I went in 82, and we moved from Cali to NY, and someone stole a bunch of our stuff... incl. photo albums from about 81-83. I was little, but I have this fascination with Disney parks... I'd love to see them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfmmrules! Posted May 14, 2009 Share Posted May 14, 2009 I like seeing those vintage pics of CP. Pretty cool. That Jumbo Jet looked like a neat ride-reminds me of a Whizzer type ride. Here's a POV of Double Loop: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Movieguy Posted May 14, 2009 Share Posted May 14, 2009 Wow! I love old finds like these. Thanks for sharing! Those pics of Mary on The Blue Streak are priceless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
montezooma Posted May 17, 2009 Share Posted May 17, 2009 I love this kind of stuff. I get excited when I see "Photo trip report 1977" Thanks for taking the time to dig those pictures up, scan them in and share them with us. Great to see others sharing their old memories of parks! Keep it up! Shane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRapidsNerd Posted May 17, 2009 Share Posted May 17, 2009 The 70's and early 80's were a great time for coasters. Always fun to see park pics from those times. Thanks for posting these and I remember Indian toe loop sandles well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philrad71 Posted May 17, 2009 Share Posted May 17, 2009 Wow - thanks, Ed...these are great! Brings back a lot of good memories of my childhood. One thing that I really wish they would have never removed was the Skyride to and from Frontier Town. It was a lot easier on the feet when one got tired of walking the entire Frontier Trail to the Midway. Even though some of the coasters are in the path, I think they could have kept it with some minor modifications. I also liked the ferris wheel by the entrance of the Frontier Trail better than where it is now... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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