Indian Lake (Ohio)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Indian Lake is a lake in Logan County in western Ohio in the United States. It is approximately 15 mi (24 km) southeast of Lima. It is fed by the north and south forks of the Upper Great Miami River, Cherokee Mans Run, Blackhawk Creek, and Van Horn Creek, and feeds the Great Miami River
Indian Lake was originally a group of wetlands occupying about 640 acres, but in the 1850s, it was turned into the 6000 acre Lewistown Reservoir which sent water through the Sidney Feeder to the Miami and Erie Canal. Within ten years of construction, it was evident that the canal system would never be economic, for it required constant dredging of silt and muck to keep the canal from filling in. Indian Lake still has that problem, and offers an average depth of no greater than 6 feet. Stumps are prevalent in several areas, presenting a hazard for boaters.
The lake continue to exist for its recreational value, fishing and boating being the most common activities. The lake is stocked with fish including Saugeye, and several fishing tournaments are held there each year.
The lake is a vacation resort. A song by The Cowsills during the 1960s was commonly mistakenly attributed to this lake, but a close examination reveals it was actually about a lake by the same name in New York State.
[edit] Sandy Beach Park
Pappy Wilgus, a Russels Point resident, built Sandy Lake Amusement Park, which opened to the public on May 29, 1924. It was promoted as "Ohio's Million Dollar Playground" and the "Atlantic City of the West." They erected a 2000' "out and back" wooden coaster, built by National Amusement Device Company, known variously as "Coaster", "Thriller", and "Silver Streak" through the years. The park even offered a penny arcade, a carousel, a millrace ride, a Ferris wheel, a funhouse, boat excursions, and a boardwalk to Sandy Beach Island for swimming.
A major attraction was the Minnewawa Dance Hall. With two bandstands and room for hundreds of couples, the park claimed it was the largest and best dance hall in Ohio. Famous musicians such as the Paul Whiteman orchestra or Rudy Vallee orchestra packed in the crowds. Sandy Beach was a great success even during the Great Depression, and hosted many dance marathons in the 1920s and early 1930s. The 1931 National Endurance Dance Marathon, held in Minnewawa, lasted an incredible 80 days, 2 hours! When a fire destroyed much of the wooden structures of the park in 1935, the park was sold to new owners who quickly invested $100,000 in rebuilding, including replacing Minnewawa Dance Hall with the Moonlight Terrace Gardens. Crowds continued to come through the 1950s. Over 100,000 attended the 1953 Ohio Sesquicentennial celebration at Indian Lake.
On the evening of July 4, 1961, rowdies at Russels Point bars across the street started fighting - and before the evening was over, there was a riot involving nearly 500 youths. For nearly a decade, there were repeats of the Independence Day weekend riots, with families choosing to go someplace safer, and motorcycle gangs electing to show up and participate. The park management fought back, increasing their security budget, and when it appeared that they had turned the corner on the violence, they renamed the park as Indian Lake Playland in 1967, but families chose safer destinations for their fun.
Other parks grew more competitive as well. Seeing the success of Disneyland in Anaheim, California, investors in Sandusky, Ohio made massive investments in Cedar Point in the 1960s. In 1972, the Taft family relocated the rides from Coney Island amusement park in the middle of the Ohio River to Kings Mills, Ohio, where they provided the start for a major new theme park known as Kings Island. The Indian Lake park bought a second roller coaster, one of the popular Ben Schiff "Wild Mouse" coasters, but it was to no avail. The park sold the steel coaster and closed down in 1975, the wooden coaster continuing to sit idle until 1981.
The park was divided by a channel, with a bridge connecting both sides. The bridge, now without a floor, is all that remains of the park - and is the "arch" depicted in the accompanying photo.
[edit] The area
Several villages are located on or very near the lake. Russells Point is a village on the south end, and the village of Lakeview is to the southwest of the lake. Much of the lake area, including the Indian Isles, is of the Huntsville mailing address, although Huntsville, Ohio is located several miles east of the lake.
Most of the lake is part of Stokes Township, although some of the south side is part of Washington Township and some of the east side is part of Richland Township. Its location in the northwestern corner of Logan County places it near to Roundhead Township in Hardin County, Goshen Township in Auglaize County, and Jackson Township in Shelby County.
