GEAUGA LAKE AMUSEMENT PARK

AURORA, OHIO 1887–2005

Geauga Lake was an amusement park I grew up with and attended several times over the years. Several owners operated the park over its lifespan, including Six Flags towards the very end of the park’s existence, but those that remember the park will always refer to it as Geauga Lake.

The Big Dipper wooden rollercoaster was one of my favorite rides here. I would visit the abandoned park for years, as rides slowly fell apart or were demolished. Each visit became more overwhelmingly sad as I was filled with emotions and nostalgic memories of laughing with my friends and family as we enjoyed the rides and peacefulness of the lake itself.

On my last visit to the park, only one ride remained, and it was the remnants of the Big Dipper rollercoaster. It looked more like the skeletal remains of a once-thriving, roaring, and powerful dinosaur, reminding me that extinction is inevitable and my photographs will be the only shred of evidence of these once-great beasts.