Kafralu Island was a man-made island built in 1911 [1] on a sandbar alongside Cedar Point in Northeast Ohio.
Louis E. Wagner and his sons built Kafralu Island over a course of twenty years by hauling in logs and fill. Wagner coined the name Kafralu by combining the name of his wife (Katherine) with the names of his sons (Frank and Louis). [2]
Wagner built cottages on the island, which were rented out during the summer months to tourists and other guests that would use the island for hunting, fishing, and vacations. [2]
On September 11, 2016, Kafralu Island was the site of the worst auto accident to happen on Cedar Point property when a male driver went off the right side of the road before over correcting and going left of center, striking two oncoming vehicles. The driver was ejected from his vehicle and found along a densely wooded part of the island. The driver was pronounced dead at nearby Firelands Medical Center and two young women were also treated and released. [2]
Erie County is a county in the northern portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 75,622. Its county seat and largest city is Sandusky. The county is named for the Erie tribe, whose name was their word for "wildcat". It was formed in 1838 from the northern third of Huron County and a portion of Sandusky County.
Erie Township is a civil township of Monroe County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,299 at the 2020 census. Sharing a southern border with the city of Toledo, Ohio, about 45 miles (72 km) southwest of the city of Detroit, the township is one of the southernmost areas included in the Detroit–Warren–Ann Arbor Combined Statistical Area.
Cedar Point is a 364-acre (147 ha) amusement park located on a Lake Erie peninsula in Sandusky, Ohio, United States. It opened in 1870 and is considered the second-oldest operating amusement park in the US behind Lake Compounce. Cedar Point, which is owned and operated by Cedar Fair, is the flagship of the company's amusement park chain. Known as "America's Roller Coast", the park features 17 roller coasters, which ranks third among amusement parks in North America behind Canada's Wonderland (18) and Six Flags Magic Mountain (20).
Ballast Island is a small, 15-acre (0.049 km²) private island on Lake Erie in the U.S. state of Ohio, about one-quarter mile (0.4 km) northeast of the northeast tip of South Bass Island. It is known primarily as a navigation point for boats going to or from Put-in-Bay from the east. There are shoals between Ballast and South Bass, but there is a passage between known locally as "the wagon tracks".
Middle Island is a small island, just 18.5 hectares in area. It is the southernmost point of land in Canada, located at 41°41'N, 82°41"W (41.685,-82.684), or about 41.7 degrees north latitude. It lies in Lake Erie, just south of Pelee Island, and is part of Point Pelee National Park. It forms part of the province of Ontario. The southernmost part of the island lies some 150 metres from the U.S. maritime boundary. The distance to the northernmost point of land in Canada—Cape Columbia, Ellesmere Island—is 4,640 kilometres.
Big Chicken Island is a small, flat, treeless island in Ontario located within Lake Erie. Although it is called an island, it is actually a reef. It is one of the three "chickens" that surround Hen Island, the other two being Chick Island and Little Chicken Island.
Chick Island is a small, flat, treeless island in Ontario located within Lake Erie. Although it is called an island, it is actually a reef. It is one of the three "chickens" that surround Hen Island, the other two being Big Chicken Island and Little Chicken Island.
Gibraltar Island is an island in Ohio, located within Lake Erie. This small 6.55-acre (0.026 km2) island is just offshore of South Bass Island. It is part of Put-in-Bay Township, Ottawa County, Ohio.
Mouse Island is a seven acre private island located in Lake Erie off the northern tip of Catawba Point in Ottawa County, Ohio, United States, near the city of Sandusky. It was formerly named "Ship Island", as denoted on early-19th-Century maps. It was later named Mouse Island for its small size. It is part of Catawba Island Township.
South Bass Island is a small island in western Lake Erie, and a part of Ottawa County, Ohio, United States. It is the southernmost of the three Bass Islands and located 3 miles (4.6 km) from the south shore of Lake Erie. It is the third largest island in the Lake Erie Islands, and is part of Put-in-Bay Township. In the bay of South Bass is Gibraltar Island, home to the Ohio State University's Stone Laboratory.
Danbury Township is one of the twelve townships of Ottawa County, Ohio, United States. The 2020 census found 4,924 people in the township.
Put-in-Bay Township is one of the twelve townships of Ottawa County, Ohio, United States. The 2020 census found 813 people in the township.
Sandusky Bay is a bay on Lake Erie in northern Ohio, formed at the mouth of the Sandusky River. It was identified as Lac Sandouské on a 1718 French map, with early variations recorded that suggest the name was derived from Native American languages. The Thomas A. Edison Memorial Bridge was constructed across it in the 20th century to connect highways in Erie and Ottawa counties.
Lake Wawasee is a large, natural, freshwater lake southeast of Syracuse in Kosciusko County, Indiana. It is the largest natural lake within Indiana's borders.
Sandusky is a city in and the county seat of Erie County, Ohio, United States. Situated on the southern shore of Lake Erie, Sandusky is located roughly midway between Toledo and Cleveland. According to 2020 census, the city had a population of 25,095, and the Sandusky metropolitan area had 115,986 residents.
The Hotel Breakers, opened in 1905, is a large historic Lake Erie resort hotel located at 1 Cedar Point Drive in the Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio.
Green Island is a small 17-acre (0.07 km²) island of the U.S. state of Ohio, in Lake Erie. It is located approximately three miles southwest of Put-in-Bay. It is part of Put-in-Bay Township, in Ottawa County.
Little Chicken Island is a small, flat, treeless island in Ontario located within Lake Erie. Although it is called an island, it is actually a reef. It is one of the three "chickens" that surround Hen Island, the other two being Big Chicken Island and Chick Island.
The Cedar Point & Lake Erie Railroad is a 3 ft narrow-gauge heritage railroad and amusement park attraction located in the Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio. The railroad opened in 1963, making it one of the oldest operating rides at Cedar Point. It consists of a total of five steam locomotives, with four of them in operating condition. In 2013, the railroad celebrated its 50th anniversary in operation.
The Vacationland region of Ohio—billed as such for being known primarily as a major summertime tourist destination—is the area that is generally considered to be in the north central part of the state, and along the western half of the Lake Erie shoreline around Sandusky Bay, specifically the counties of Erie, Huron, Ottawa, and Sandusky.
41°27′53″N82°40′25″W / 41.464719°N 82.673476°W