Extinct Michigan Amusement Park: Toledo Beach, Monroe County: 1907-1961
If anyone decides to take it upon themselves to do some research on the old, defunct Toledo Beach Amusement Park, you may tend to get confused. There are vintage images that are captioned as either “Toledo Beach, Michigan” or “Toledo Beach, Ohio”. The fact is, the beach in both those listings are the same one.
The actual location of the former Toledo Beach Amusement Park was near La Salle in Michigan’s Monroe County, approximately ten miles north of the Michigan/Ohio border. So why the confusion? Why is the park sometimes said to have been in Ohio?
Well, the name “Toledo” Beach didn’t help.
Let’s start at the beginning. Before 1907, the area was known as the Ottawa Beach Resort (don’t get this confused with the other one near Holland). The Toledo Rail Light and Power Company bought the land in 1907 and decided to turn it into the Toledo Beach Amusement Park.
The park enlisted the services of a trolley company to pick up people and bring them to the park – including people from Ohio. The trolley would pick up a load of Ohioans and take them ten miles north of the Michigan/Ohio border to Toledo Beach; the trip didn’t take long, so many of these Ohioans had no idea they had crossed into Michigan – they thought they were still in Ohio.
The park was a huge hit. A dance pavilion was built in 1905 (when it was still known as Ottawa Beach) and also used for roller skating. A giant water slide sat right inside the lake and was ruined in 1917 by a heavy storm.
The park’s peak years were from the 1900s into the mid-1920s. When the trolleys ceased in 1927, park attendance began to drop off.
Through other weather problems, the park seemed to withstand it all...but it could not withstand the lack of patrons. A reboot was attempted in 1950 with the addition of new rides, a new roller rink, train ride, games, and a new name: “New Toledo Beach.” Finally, the park was sold in 1961 to the Gladieux family who dredged the whole thing and built the Toledo Beach marina, which still exists.
The family sold the marina in 2007.....but don’t expect any new owners to resurrect an amusement park.
Defunct Toledo Beach Amusement Park: Monroe County
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