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Home » State Histories » Ohio » Attractions

The Blue Streak - Cedar Point's Oldest Standing Roller Coaster

Published: Dec 1, 2021 · Modified: Nov 2, 2023 by Russell Yost · This post may contain affiliate links ·

There are two defining roller coasters at Cedar Point: Blue Streak Roller Coaster and Magnum XL 200. Each changed how Cedar Point was perceived, but the grandfather of all the Cedar Point Roller Coasters is the Blue Streak.

blue streak standing roller coaster

When I talk about the first time I rode the Magnum or Millennium Force, my dad can tell me the first time he rode the Blue Streak with his dad.

Jump to:
  • History
  • Conclusion

History

Blue Streak features a traditional "out-and-back" layout design and is named after the local high school, the Sandusky Blue Streaks.

Following the removal of Cyclone in 1951, more than a decade passed before Cedar Point decided to add another major roller coaster to its list of attractions. Several smaller coasters were added during this time, but only two remained by 1963.

For the 1964 season, the Philadelphia Toboggan Company was hired to build a new roller coaster under the direction of Frank F. Hoover and John C. Allen.

Blue Streak opened to the public on May 23, 1964.

It was one of only three roller coasters operating at the time within the park. The attraction's success led to a rebirth of roller coasters at Cedar Point, including the installation of Cedar Creek Mine Ride (1969), Corkscrew (1976), Gemini (1978), and Wilderness Run (1979).

Cedar Point invested US$200,000 to construct the wooden roller coaster, and it remains a favorite at the park, consistently getting 30-minute to hour waits and within annual roller coaster polls.

In Amusement Today's 2013 Golden Ticket Awards, Blue Streak was ranked 27th among wooden roller coasters worldwide – its highest ranking to date

Conclusion

It is a simple ride. One hill, then a few small hills that pop you out of your seat and back again. It reminds folks of yesteryear and still remains a somewhat popular ride.

The hill is under 100 feet high, and the speeds only reach 40 mph. Crazy when you think of Millennium and Top Thrill Dragster, but back in the 1960s, the Blue Streak was a one-of-a-kind coaster.

It was the tallest and fastest coaster of its era.

It is funny to hear my dad describe it.  He told me that when he was a kid on the Blue Streak, he thought he was going to go right over the edge of the second hill and then the descent!

While many will say that the Blue Streak is old-fashioned, I would still recommend it.

Don’t think of it as old-fashioned but as a classic. It was one of the roller coasters that catapulted Cedar Point from a resort destination to what it eventually became.

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