By 1912, there were 54 amusement parks in Ohio. The parks came in all sizes, and featured such attractions as the Flying Ponies carousel, the Chute-the-Chutes water ride, and the Cyclone, Racer, and Dip-the-Dips roller coasters. Some, like Cleveland's White City, seemed to be courted by bad luck from the beginning, and folded after only a few disappointing seasons. Others, like Youngstown's Idora Park, enjoyed long lives and fostered beloved memories, but eventually closed down in the 1960s, 70s and 80s. A few, like Sandusky's Cedar Point, have grown to be considered among the greatest amusement parks in the world. But most are now forgotten.

The Roller Coaster-the Cyclone at Coney Island, the Racer at Pittsburgh's Kenywood Park, the Blue Streak at Sandusky's Cedar Point-icon of the midway, capable of reducing even the strongest of grown men to screaming, white-knuckled hysterics. During the early decades of the 20th century, daring designers pushed the limits of these high-speed thrillers, reaching hundreds of feet in height and thousands of feet in length, with ever more miles of winding, twisting, lurching track dominating the landscapes of America's amusement parks. Most of the roller coasters from that golden age are gone today. Thankfully, they live on in memory, preserved in vintage postcards that provide a lasting record of the magnificent wooden structures that thrilled our parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents.

For 150 years, people have come to rest, relax, and recharge in the area from Vermilion to Port Clinton, south to Milan, Bellevue, and Fremont, and north to Sandusky, Cedar Point, the Marblehead Peninsula, and the Lake Erie Islands. Lake Erie is the constant in this fascinating story, the natural resource that gives the region its character and charm. Quaint wineries, world-class roller coasters, amusement parks, water toboggans, indoor and outdoor water parks, lake steamers and jet boats, cottage communities, sportfishing, swimming, sailing, boating, camping, historical sites, caverns, museums, beaches, Civil War history, resort hotels, religious retreats, and natural wonders--Lake Erie's shores and islands have a rich tourism and recreation history.

Ohios Lake Erie Shore began to blossom as a resort area in the mid 1800s, and came into full bloom around the turn of the century when the prospering steamboat navigation industry started to bring thousands of tourists to Put-in-Bay, Cedar Point, and the spiritual retreats at Lakeside on Marblehead.

Best known as the "Rubber Capital of the World," Akron, Ohio, was a major player in many industries long before Benjamin F. Goodrich moved there in 1870. From humble canal town to global industry giant, Akron rode the economic roller coaster through the Depression, wars, strikes, and financial booms. As a major manufacturing center of everything from sewer pipe to matches to oatmeal, Akron lured prospective workers from other towns, states, and even countries. This lively mix of diverse cultures helped to create Akron's unique beauty and boundless spirit. Akron, Ohio, examines this special blend of industry, culture, tight-knit neighborhoods, and high society through historic photographs and images-some seen here for the first time.

During the first half of the 20th century, Columbus grew from a population of 125,560 (1900) to a population of 375,901 (1950)-a three-fold increase. Postcards were one vehicle for recording the activities that accompanied this growth. Columbus, Ohio: 1898-1950 in Vintage Postcards includes the earliest Columbus scenic postcards, many scenes from the golden era of postcards, and later scenes that show some of the changes that occurred in Columbus between the end of World War I and the post-World War II boom of the late 1940s. The material presented is from the personal collection of the author, considered to be the most extensive collection in existence. This collection includes all of the common views such as the State Capitol, and a large number of one-of-a-kind views, including those of Papa Presutti's first saloon and of Tommy Sopwith (the English airplane manufacturer) at an air meet in Columbus in 1910.