Lake Improvments

As the lake came into recreational use, concrete sea walls and riprap were installed at both ends to protect embankments and shoreline from erosion that threatened the levees, including along Lake Shore Drive from the West Bank to the Pullman Bay area. A shoreline shelter was built in the 1930's at the location of the existing shelter and was once divided into changing rooms for swimmers. The existing spillway on the West Bank is the third built for the lake; the original stood just north of where Coldwater Creek enters the lake, was replaced in 1914 by a 38 foot wide structure at the present location, and the current 200 foot long spillway was completed in 1998 at a cost of around 4 1/2 million dollars. In the early 1950's, the state began widening both the east and west embankments with dredged material, first enlarging the East Bank levee because prevailing winds created greater wave action there, and the land formed through this work became the East and West Bank Park areas. Among the earliest park areas along the lake were the Chautauqua grounds, now the Marcelina Park area, which also served at one time as the county fairgrounds; the Chautauqua was a two week long summer social, cultural, and religious gathering around the turn of the century featuring lecturers, musicians, politicians, and preachers for the local public. After the First World War, two amusement parks were built on the lake: Edgewater Park, at the site of the Eagles Lodge, was known for its dance hall where many big bands played, and Gordon State Park, at the St. Marys end at the site of the State Marina, was remembered for its rollercoaster.

Celina, Ohio · United States