When Cedar Point Almost Came to the Irish Hills: Onsted, Michigan

Remember when Cedar Point wanted to open up 'Cedar Point 2' over in the Irish Hills? Can you imagine what it would be like there by now if that had happened?

After acquiring 440 acres of land that included what used to be Frontier City – a forerunner of Stagecoach Stop on M-50 – they broke ground in March 1975, planning to go full steam ahead with their plans for a new amusement area, the size not unlike Sandusky, Ohio's Cedar Point. Cedar Point officials stated that yeah, the new amusement park would be open and ready for business in June 1976 to help celebrate America's bicentennial.

That would've meant 800 new jobs would be available for locals, nearby residents, persons out-of-work, and school students. "Irish Hills Amusement Park" would probably have been the title and the legal address would be listed as Onsted. But the area was split – while some were excited about a close-by mega-amusement park, others didn't want all that concrete, steel, litter, traffic jams, garbage, and overcrowding in their quaint, peaceful, beautiful Irish Hills.

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In December 1974, the Daily Telegram stated that the new park would have leprechauns, an indoor mall with 25 shops, theater, fancy restaurant, dual roller coaster, petting zoo, sky wheel, a 250-foot tower, and a locomotive that would travel thru the park.

However, a "Save the Irish Hills" group threatened a lawsuit which made county and local officials begin to think twice about the project. With all the hoo-hah arising, Cedar Point seemed to get tired of waiting for minds to be made up and canceled. Whether they figured “doing business with these wishy-washy rubes ain't worth it” or for some other reason, they put the kibosh on the whole project. This decision came on April 2 1975, less than a month after they had supposedly “broke ground” for the new park!

According to Lenconnect.com, “Representatives of those from Cambridge Township in favor of the development went to Ohio to plead their case to have park officials give the development another look, but the company representatives had made up their mind. The Irish Hills Amusement Park was just not meant to be.”

Cedar Point held on to the land for 38 years until it was sold in 2012.