WELCOME TO THE MILLION DOLLAR PLAYGROUND

Indian Lake is the second-largest inland lake in Ohio, covering 5,147 acres (about 8 square miles or 20.7 square kilometers). The lake was built in the mid-nineteenth century to provide water to Ohio’s canal system during the dry summer months. But as railroad freight cars replaced barges on the canals, the lake became obsolete as feeder to the canals. Shortly before the turn of the twentieth century, the entire lake was converted to a leisure park providing plenty fishing and hunting opportunities.

During the 1920s Indian Lake became known as Ohio’s Million Dollar Playground, with an amusement park, bathing pools, and other amenities attracting many visitors from Ohio and beyond. The early history of Indian Lake was documented by several local photographers who produced an astounding number of postcards of various scenes and people around the lake. In 2019 a small fraction of the postcards in my personal collection were published by Arcadia Press in their “Postcards History Series.” Since then, my collection has grown exponentially. I created this website to make this collection available for viewing.

This website is divided into three areas. A shorty history of Indian Lake is given under the heading “History.” Vintage postcards and vintage photographs can be found under the heading “Vintage Postcards.” Some of my own photographs taken more recently can be found under the heading “Modern Photographs.”

Enjoy the journey!

Choose any of the links below for specific topics

History

vintage postcards

modern photographs