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Cedar Point is a amusement park located on a Lake Erie peninsula in Sandusky, Ohio. Opened in 1870, it is the second-oldest operating amusement park in the United States behind Lake Compounce.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Oldest Amusement Parks in the United States )〕 Cedar Point is owned and operated by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company and is considered the flagship of the amusement park chain. Known as "America's Roller Coast", the park features a world-record 72 rides, including 16 roller coasters which ties it with Canada's Wonderland for the second-most roller coasters in an amusement park behind Six Flags Magic Mountain. Its newest roller coaster, Rougarou, opened in May 2015. Cedar Point's normal operating season runs from early May until Labor Day, when the park is open daily. The park is then open only on weekends until the beginning of November for HalloWeekends, a Halloween event.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=https://www.cedarpoint.com/hours-directions/cedar-point )〕 Other attractions near the park include a white-sand beach,〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Cedar Point Beach )〕 an outdoor water park called Soak City, an indoor water park called Castaway Bay, an area known as ''Challenge Park'', two marinas,〔(【引用サイトリンク】publisher=Cedar Point )〕 and several nearby resorts. The park has reached several milestones. It is the only amusement park in the world with four roller coasters taller than – Magnum XL-200, Millennium Force, Wicked Twister, and Top Thrill Dragster – and is the only park with roller coasters in all four height classifications. Cedar Point has also received the Golden Ticket Award for "Best Amusement Park in the World" from ''Amusement Today'' for 16 consecutive years. As of 2013, the park is the most visited seasonal amusement park in the United States with an estimated 3.38 million visitors in 2013.〔 The park also has several buildings that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. ==History== In the mid-19th century, the south shore region of Lake Erie was a popular vacation destination for the emerging middle class in the United States. The lake islands, such as Kelleys Island and South Bass Island, were gaining a reputation for their freshwater bathing resorts. The Cedar Point peninsula, named for its abundance of cedar trees, was originally known for its fishing. Local fishermen leased land and built living quarters there. Sandusky, which featured an important shipping harbor and two railroads, 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.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Sandusky, OH: History )〕 In the 1860s during the American Civil War, housing for a battery of four field artillery pieces was constructed at the tip of the peninsula. It was used to defend a prison for Confederate soldiers on nearby Johnson's Island. Louis Zistel, a German immigrant, built two boats to transport the prisoners. In 1870, he began to ferry locals to the Cedar Point peninsula, which was 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.〔 He 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 an 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, after Slackford became ill, Dwelle entered a more lucrative partnership with Adam Stoll and Louis Adolph, who owned land at Cedar Point, and investors Charles Baetz and Jacob Kuebeler.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Cedar Point, Ohio )〕 The partnership's first venture was constructing a Grand Pavilion, which opened in 1888. It was a two-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, a water toboggan ride consisting of a ramp that launched riders into Lake Erie, opened in 1890. Electricity was installed at Cedar Point in 1891.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=PointBuzz Timeline )〕 The first roller coaster, Switchback Railway, opened the following year. It stood high and had a top speed of . The Switchback Railway was designed as two identical tracks side-by-side – one for the ride down and the other for the train to be hauled back to the top by the ride attendant.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Cedar Point」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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