Leaving the Industrial City - Geauga Lake
- Date Range
- 1880 – 2007
- Title
- Leaving the Industrial City - Geauga Lake
- What occurred
- Similar to most locations in America, transportation improvements lead the movement of people outside of cities. The large industrial City of Cleveland provided jobs and economic well-being. As much as people enjoyed this economic security of Cleveland, living in its harsh disease ridden conditions were becoming unbearable. Transportation allowed people to escape the city and begin living in open spaces where they could still commute to Cleveland for work. The Geauga Lake rail depot was constructed connecting Geauga lake to the Erie railway. Groups of people began to gather here for recreation; fishing, picnics and hiking. Rather rapidly, establishments were constructed along the lake. Beginning with a 75-room house, Geauga Lake soon became an amusement park. The amusement park grew until it was officially named the Sea World of Ohio in 1970. The infrastructure required to support Sea World destroyed the natural wetlands of the area. Today, the metal and concrete remains can still be seen and the environmental effects still felt. There are currently storm water runoff issues that cause algae blooms and chemical (solvent and herbicide) contamination of the groundwater. Plans are currently being developed to repurpose this site, but for now its graveyard paints a grim picture of what once was.
- Location
- Geauga Lake, Ohio 44202
- Image Citation
- Micklewright, John. “Geauga Lake - An Environmental History.” Cleveland Historical, 27 Sept. 2020, https://clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/795.
- Student name(s)
- Jackson Selent