By Mary E. Mortimer
The Sandy Beach Amusement Park was opened on Decoration Day, May 30, 1924, at Russells Point, Ohio, by Samuel L. “Pappy” Wilgus and his son, French Wilgus. Sandy Beach Park became one of Ohio’s most popular parks and vacation sites. The park featured a 2,000-foot-long roller coaster and other popular rides. In addition, the park also had several dance pavilions and featured some of the biggest names from the Big Band era. People from all over Logan County and surrounding states came to the “Million Dollar Playground”, as the Sandy Beach Park and Indian Lake area became known, to enjoy the rides, water, and entertainment.
One of the highlights of the park was the unique arched steel footbridge over the Russells Point harbor that connected the east side of the park to the attractions on the west side.
The park enjoyed many years of success until the late 1960s and early 1970s, when riots occurred at the lake and competition from larger amusement parks and other types of entertainment became more attractive. The declining Indian Lake Playland did not open for the 1976 season and the Sandy Beach Bridge was closed. After several years, the park’s buildings and rides fell into greater disrepair and in August 1981 the park was razed.
In late 1981, the area where the Sandy Beach Amusement Park once stood was purchased by William “Bill” and Marjorie Reed. Mr. Reed, who grew up in the heyday of the amusement park, was the owner of Spend-A-Day Marina, and he was a proponent of the bridge being saved and restored. The Reeds had a vision of making the bridge come to life again as the center of activity in the Russells Point Harbor. They rebuilt the concrete abutments and painted the structure to prevent any further decay. In the mid-1980s, the bridge decking was removed as a safety precaution.
After Mr. Reed passed away in 2009, his family joined together with the Indian Lake Area Historical Society to fulfill their father’s wishes of restoring the Sandy Beach Bridge. Fund raising for the bridge began in 2010, and with support from the Indian Lake Community, generous donations were received. The bridge received a new 8-inch composite deck and the area around it was landscaped with benches and historical markers with a “Bridging the Past into The Future” theme.
On August 23, 2014, one of largest crowds since the amusement park days, gathered for the dedication of the refurbished bridge and harbor walk. The ceremony opened with the Doyle Miller Lakeview AMVETS Post marching the colors from the east side of the bridge to the west side where they raised the American flag.
The Rev. Jim Ellington shared personal stories and praised the committee for their hard work and dedication to the bridge restoration. Project leader Jim Reed then gave an emotional reflection of his parents, William and Marjorie Reed’s vision of bringing the iconic bridge back to being the focal point of the Indian Lake Community.
Entertainment was provided by the West Central Ohio Community Concert Band and local Antioch Shriner clowns amused the crowd. As the calliope music played in the warm summer breeze memories of the once great “Million Dollar Playground” were rekindled.
Bob MacDonald, a life-long Indian Lake resident and business owner at Russells Point, wrote the following about the Sandy Beach Bridge “There were other bridges in the area, but when someone mentioned “the bridge”, they were referring to the bridge over the harbor. Millions of people have traveled over the bridge, and hundreds of thousands under it.
People have met on the bridge. People have had fallings-out on the bridge. People have made-up on the bridge. People have become engaged on the bridge. People have been married on the bridge. Every now-and-then some nut would jump off the bridge on a dare.
And sadly, some have jumped off in a moment of despair. The bridge has witnessed a full gamut of human emotions and foibles. And it still stands – the last vestige of an era gone by.”
The lighted Russells Point Harbor Bridge has now become the recognized symbol of the Indian Lake Community.
A special thank you to Sharon DeVault, Indian Lake Area Historical Society member, for contributing to this article.
For more information on the Sandy Beach/Harbor Bridge visit the Indian Lake Area Historical Society Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064910791261 Or their website at indianlakeohiohistoricalsociety.org
Visit the Logan County History Center at 521 E. Columbus Ave., Bellefontaine, Ohio 43311, to learn more interesting aspects of Logan County History.
The History Center is open for tours 1-4 p.m. Wednesday – Sunday.
