8/24/2023 0 Comments Milton township hallThe park closed forever, and all the rides and concessions were moved or demolished in 1966. Squeezed onto an 8-acre plot, there was no room for Craig Beach Amusement Park to expand with modern rides that could deliver new thrills for a generation accustomed to fast automobiles, speed boats and the marvel of TV. Lake Milton’s boating, swimming, and fishing facilities still held their appeal for summer vacationers, but the obstacles to reviving the dying park were overwhelming. The park changed ownership three times between 1950 and the mid-1960s. In the 1950s, the dance hall remained vibrant and continued to attract popular bands, but the amusement park rides and midway drew dwindling crowds, comprised mostly of local folks, mostly on the weekends. Wartime job opportunities created at the nearby Ravenna Arsenal encouraged others to settle permanently alongside Lake Milton and convert seasonal cottages to year-round homes. One side effect of the war-gas rationing-discouraged the influx of out-of-towners to the park. The roller coaster eventually reopened the next season, but the tragedy, coupled with the nation’s involvement in World War II, cast a gloomy shadow over the park. Two teenagers were killed, and the rest of the passengers in the car were injured. In August of 1941, the happy crowd of nearly 20,000 enjoyed the park until just before closing time when the squeals of laughter gave way to screams of terror as a roller coaster car accidentally derailed and sailed off the track. The park was sold at Sheriff’s auction and the new owner oversaw the operations as the park realized its greatest potential and experienced its greatest tragedy.įor one day only, each August, the Black churches of northeast Ohio and western Pennsylvania brought their congregations to Craig Beach for a family fun day. The Craig Beach Amusement Park was in its heyday, but despite the park’s popularity, the Craig Beach company went bankrupt in 1934. ![]() With the 300-couple dance hall and its open-air promenade filled to capacity, it attracted the touring big-name big bands of the Swing era, as well as more local talent-Steubenville native Dean Martin launched his singing career here when some friends dared him to sing with the orchestra. A milestone in promotion of the park came in 1931 when the village of Craig Beach was formally incorporated to allow the dance hall to remain open on Sundays. The amusement park company owned and operated the rides, but entrepreneurs in the community owned and operated the various food and game concessions. ![]() The brand-new community of Craig Beach consisted of only about 10 families year-round, but the local population swelled to thousands each summer as tourists filled the area’s 500-plus seasonal rental cottages. As local businesspeople began developing land around the new lake to get a piece of the action, Ward Craig withdrew from the Craig Beach Company and the playground he founded. By the end of the decade, the old family farm had been completely transformed into a lake resort and Craig Beach Amusement Park boasted a merry-go-round, Ferris wheel, "Caterpillar" ride, penny arcade, shooting gallery, pony rides and food and game concessions. Local and regional bus lines added Lake Milton to their regularly scheduled stops. The Craig family home was converted into the amusement park office, and a 3,000-car parking lot was built to accommodate the anticipated crowds. In 1922 the Craig Beach Company was formed to further develop the area with the innovative rides and attractions that were becoming the standard fare of all full-fledged amusement parks. He often took up an instrument and joined in with the visiting orchestras. Craig jumped on the ballroom dancing craze and built a dance hall in 1920 to rival the ballrooms springing up alongside the passenger rail lines around the East and Midwest. Ward Craig was a talented amateur musician, and the popularity of Craig’s Landing gave him an opportunity to grow a business from his love of music and people. Even after the dam was completed, folks continued to come to the newly christened Craig’s Landing which by 1916 offered a refreshment stand, swimming area, boat docks, and picnic facilities. An enthusiastic and gracious host, Craig welcomed the onlookers and provided them with a picnic area as well as entertainment. ![]() This ambitious engineering feat took on the additional dimension of a public spectacle as crowds gathered at the ancestral home of Ward Craig on the northwest side of the lake near the dam site. The plan was to construct a 2,800-foot dam across the river, impounding 1,640 acres. In 1910 the city of Youngstown acquired 3,416 acres along the Mahoning River in Mahoning County’s Milton Township to construct a reservoir to be used as a water supply.
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