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The south shore region of Lake Erie was a popular vacation destination for the emerging middle class in the United States in the mid-19th century. The lake islands, such as Kelleys Island and South Bass Island, were gaining a reputation for their freshwater bathing resorts. The Cedar Point peninsula was named for its abundance of cedar trees and was originally known for its fishing. Local fishermen leased land and built living quarters there. Sandusky transformed into a major economic center over the next three decades. Railroad and steamship travel supported an emerging tourism industry, and rapid development of the area began. In the 1860s housing for a battery of four field artillery pieces was constructed at the tip of the peninsula during the American Civil War. It was used to defend a prison for Confederate soldiers on a nearby island. Louis Zistel, a German immigrant, built two boats to transport the prisoners. He began to ferry locals to the Cedar Point peninsula in 1870, regaining popularity as a summer picnic destination. Zistel opened a bathhouse on the north shore of the peninsula, and the same year built a beer garden with a small dance floor and charged 25 cents per person to ride from Sandusky to Cedar Point on his boat, Young Reindeer. This marked the beginning of Cedar Point as a amusement park. Benjamin F. Dwelle and Captain William Slackford leased land on the peninsula in 1882 and built eight new bathhouses, a dance hall and wooden walkways on the beach. The steamboats R.B Hayes and Lutts provided transport to Biemiller's Cove and Cedar Point Lighthouse. Building on early success, Dwelle and Slackford continued to expand the park each year and added picnic tables, cleared acres of brush and built a baseball diamond. In 1888, Dwelle entered a more lucrative partnership with Adam Stoll and Louis Adolph and Charles Baetz and Jacob Kuebeler after Slackford became ill. The partnership's first venture was constructing a Grand Pavilion, opening in 1888. It was a 2-story theater and concert hall with a bowling alley and photographer's studio. The building was recognized for its unusual architecture, and still stands in the park. The first amusement ride at Cedar Point opened in 1890 which was a water toboggan ride consisting of a ramp that launched riders into Lake Erie. Electricity was installed at Cedar Point in 1891. The Switchback Railway opened the following year. The Switchback Railway was designed as two identical tracks side-by-side, with one being for the ride down and the other being for the train to be hauled back to the top by the ride attendant. The second roller coaster at Cedar Point, the Figure-Eight Roller Toboggan, debuted in 1902. It was moved several years later and renamed The Racer. A pony track was built near the beach the same year. Mosquitoes were becoming a problem, so in 1904, the park hired the Detroit Dredging Company to drain swampy areas on the peninsula. Detroit Dredging connected a series of lagoons to form a water passageway that quickly became one of the signature attractions. Aside from sightseeing passenger boats, the passageway was used to transport coal to power plants near the center of the peninsula. The historic Hotel Breakers opened in 1905 as one of the largest hotels in the Midwest; it had 600 guest rooms and a cafe that could seat 400 guests. A new area of the park called "Amusement Circle" was designed in 1906 to link the pier to the beach. It was located southeast of the Coliseum, a large arena built the same year that featured a grand ballroom and other attractions. In 1908, the Dip the Dips Scenic Railway roller coaster opened but was soon overshadowed in 1912 by the larger Leap the Dips ride. In 1917, Dip the Dips was razed and replaced by the Leap Frog Scenic Railway. With three roller coasters and a growing variety of other rides, Cedar Point was beginning to grow as a amusement park though that was not George A. Boeckling's priority. He marketed the peninsula primarily as a bathing resort complete with shows, motion pictures and other forms of entertainment, but did not emphasize the park's rides. Many more hotels and restaurants were constructed in the remaining years of Boeckling's tenure, including Hotel Cedars, White House Hotel, Crystal Rock Castle and Crystal Gardens Ballroom. The Cyclone, a rickety and rough coaster, was built in 1926. Cedar Point continued to update its ride attractions by replacing the Racer as well as the Circle Swing to make way for a water ride and a Tilt-A-Whirl and fun houses such as Noah's Ark and Bluebeard's Palace. Boeckling's health began to deteriorate in the late 1920s. In 1931, Boeckling became confined to a wheelchair but he continued to oversee park operations and was pushed around Cedar Point by an employee or relative. His condition worsened, and he eventually had to remain indoors. Boeckling died on 24th July 1931 from Uremia. Edward Smith took over Cedar Point's management after the death of Boeckling. Little expansion happened through the 1930s; one of the few rides built in that period was the Tumble Bug. The decaying Leap the Dips coaster was demolished in the mid-1930s. In the late 1930s, the resort was on the brink of being sold to the state of Ohio for $3,000,000. After the 1938 season the directors had the second floor of the Coliseum modernized in the art deco style with a new stage. In the middle, the giant dance floor remained and some of the top bands of the time played in the ballroom. As a result, it kept Cedar Point operating through the rest of the Depression. Momma Berardi's Home Made French Fries came to Cedar Point with Momma Berardi's family playing an important role in the food industry at Cedar Point. Momma Berardi's fries were sold there from 1942 until 1978, winning four Reader's Choice Awards. Cedar Point was in need of financial help by the end of World War II. The wood of the Cyclone roller coaster was rotting and the boardwalk was cracked in many places. In 1946, Cedar Point's oldest still-existing ride called the Midway Carousel was installed. By 1951, the Cyclone was razed because of the poor condition leaving the resort without a roller coaster. Cedar Point & Lake Erie Railroad opened in 1963 and transported passengers from the middle of the park to the back. In 1964, Cedar Point built its oldest surviving roller coaster, Blue Streak. It was named after the local high school's sports teams, the Sandusky Blue Streaks. Jungle Larry's Safari Island was a well-known attraction that operated from 1965 until 1994 despite the death of Jungle Larry in 1984. The Cedar Creek Mine Ride opened in 1969; it is currently the second oldest roller coaster at Cedar Point. In 1970, the Centennial Theatre was built and named in honor of Cedar Point's 100th anniversary. 1972 brought Giant Wheel and the now-defunct Jumbo Jet coaster which was noted for being the fastest around. In 1975, Robert L. Munger Jr. took over as president of Cedar Point after George Roose retired. The record-breaking Corkscrew roller coaster was built in 1976; it was the first roller coaster to span a midway and have three inversions. Gemini opened in 1978 and was advertised as the tallest, fastest and steepest roller coaster in the world. Jr. Gemini opened the following year. White Water Landing opened in 1982 and replaced the original Shoot the Rapids log flume. In 1983, Demon Drop was built at the front of the park. Avalanche Run opened 2 years later close to the beach and would later be re-themed as Disaster Transport. The San Francisco Earthquake Ride was transformed into the Berenstain Bear Country. The following year Robert L. Munger Jr. stepped down because of health issues and was replaced by Richard Kinzel. Thunder Canyon, a river rafting ride manufactured by Intamin, also opened in 1986. In 1987, Iron Dragon debuted on the Million Dollar Midway near the Cedar Point & Lake Erie Railroad station. 1 year later Soak City was constructed near Hotel Breakers. It features speed slides, more than 10 body and tube slides, a family raft ride, a water playhouse and 2 lazy rivers. Several new rides and roller coasters opened at Cedar Point since 1989 have been record-breakers. Magnum XL-200 debuted in 1989, breaking the world height and speed records. It was the first roller coaster to exceed a height of 200 ft and speeds over 70 mph and was the first hypercoaster in the world. For the 1990 season, Avalanche Run was transformed into Disaster Transport, the ride was fully enclosed and special effects were added. In recent years the special effects and theming were removed, leaving the ride almost completely dark. Mean Streak opened in 1991. It broke records for the fastest and tallest wooden roller coaster in the world, reaching speeds of 65 mph and a height of 161 ft with Snake River Falls being constructed in 1993 because of the popularity of Soak City. The 82 ft tall structure sends riders plunging down at 40 mph. At the bottom of the hill, the ride ends with a splash landing in which the boat creates a large wave that splashes spectators on an overlooking bridge, and was the tallest and fastest water ride in the world. In 1994, Cedar Point installed Raptor. The Mill Race log flume was removed from the park, and the circular Calypso was relocated to make room for Raptor. In December 1994, the park held Christmas in the Park for the first and last time. The Midway Carousel was open, and a horse-drawn carriage gave behind-the-scenes tours of the park, and the midway held many Christmas festivals including a Christmas tree. In 1996, Cedar Point opened Mantis, then the tallest, steepest, and fastest stand-up roller coaster in the world. The original name for Mantis was "Banshee" but many people thought it was offensive and the name was changed. In 1997, the park added HalloWeekends, a Halloween event with haunted houses and mazes during the Halloween season. Camp Snoopy debuted in 1999; it features eight Snoopy-themed attractions, with the exception of a Tilt-a-Whirl. The area also features Woodstock Express. Cedar Point built Millennium Force in 2000. When it debuted, it was the tallest and fastest complete circuit coaster in the world, reaching speeds of 93 mph and heights of 310 ft. In 2002, Wicked Twister opened as the first second-generation Intamin inverted impulse roller coaster. Today, Wicked Twister is the tallest and fastest inverted impulse roller coaster in the world. maXair debuted in 2005 as only the second HUSS Giant Frisbee ride in the United States. Dan Keller also retired as Vice President and general manager. He was replaced by John Hildebrandt who was the VP and GM of Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom 1 year earlier. In 2006, Skyhawk was built next to Snake River Falls, it is currently the tallest Screamin' Swing in the world. In 2007, Cedar Point built Maverick, featuring a 100 ft drop at a 95-degree angle and a LSM launch in the middle of the ride reaching speeds of 70 mph. In 2008, Cedar Point introduced Planet Snoopy, a kids' area constructed on the site of Peanuts Playground; it consists of family and children's rides relocated from Cedar Point's sister park Geauga Lake after it closed. The area also consists of a "Kids Only" restaurant called Joe Cool Cafe, a small menu for adults. Starlight Experience, a night-time LED light extravaganza with floats themed to the four seasons, debuted in 2009. This $1,000,000 attraction takes place on the Frontier Trail nightly beginning at twilight. In order to prepare for Starlight Experience, the Frontier Trail closes for approximately 30 minutes before the event. In 2010, Cedar Point added a new flume ride named Shoot the Rapids which includes two drops and a three-minute journey through a rustic western environment. The ride was later removed in 2015 because of a history of low ridership and mechanical issues. In 2014 Cedar Point added two new family attractions called Pipe Scream and Lake Erie Eagles and also added a thrill ride called SlingShot. Many improvements were also made to Camp Snoopy and the Gemini Midway, including relocating and retheming a few rides. The following year Mantis was repainted green and orange and received new trains to become Rougarou which is a floorless coaster. That same year, Hotel Breakers received a US$25 million renovation. A dive coaster called Valravn debuted in 2016 and is the tallest and fastest and longest dive coaster in the world. It stands 223 ft tall and travels at speeds of up to 73 mph replacing the 40-year-old Good Time Theater. Calypso was relocated to the beach area near Wicked Twister and was renamed Tiki Twirl. Valravn also replaced the Turnpike Cars, a Antique Car ride. Raptor and Top Thrill Dragster received a fresh coat of paint that same year