Toledo Beach - La Salle MI

Address: 11840 Toledo Beach Rd
City: La Salle
State: MI
Zip: 48145
County: Monroe
Number of visits to this page: 8089
Disclaimer:

Please note that location entries may feature older photos or post card views that may not represent the current appearance, features, addresses, phone numbers, or contact names of the attraction. This site is intended to be a historical as well as current record of various attractions but it is not always possible to have up-to-date information due to the vast number of locations featured here. We ask you consult the propietor for current information.

General Information:

Update July 9th 2022: I visited the Toledo Beach area and there is an awesome marina, yacht sales and beach there now. I am not sure how much (if any) of it goes back to the old amusement park days but it is still a cool place to check out.

The Toledo Rail Light and Power Company bought the Ottawa Beach Resort in 1907 and created the Toledo Beach Amusement Park. An electric trolley service brought visitors from Ohio to the park. Many had no idea they crossed over the state line into Michigan. Calling it Toledo Beach added to the confusion. You will find many post cards of that era that say "Toledo Beach, Toledo Ohio" on them. All of them were wrong. The trolley also made stops at Lakeside, Lakewood, Allen's Cove and the Luna Pier along the way.

There were times when the park was shut down during hard economic times then reopened. It perhaps enjoyed its high point in the early 1900s and slowly declined after the electric interurban trolleys stopped running in 1927.

Starting in the early 1900s the trolley cars of the Toledo, Ottawa Beach and Northern Railway made runs every 15 minutes to the Monroe County, Michigan, lakeside amusement park. Riders would depart the crowded cars and traverse the sidewalks to their favorite attraction.

The magnificent Toledo Beach Dance Hall was built in 1905. It also served as a roller skating rink. Other attractions followed like the giant water slide which was built in the lake. The slide was heavily damaged by a storm in 1917. The original dance hall was electrified by its own power plant and provided quite a nighttime view. There were floods, storms and fires that damaged or destroyed facilities over the years. This included dance halls and restaurants. In spite of it all the park managed to keep going.

Toledo Beach was advertised in the early 1900's as a getaway from the industrial waterfront of Toledo. It was only accessible by the trolley line from downtown Toledo. The park did enjoy a renaissance in 1950 with the addition of a number of new rides and facilities, like the giant outdoor roller skating rink, the train ride, midway of games and more. It was referred to as the "New Toledo Beach."

The new amusement park operator in 1950 was the LaSalle Resort Corp., an organization led by brothers Virgil and Nelson Gladieux of Toledo. Virgil Gladieux purchased the amusement park acreage in 1961 and planned to construct a large marina on the lakefront property. The former amusement park was dredged and the Toledo Beach Marina built and opened in 1962. The Gladieux family owned the facility for nearly 60 years. The family sold the marina in 2007. [The Monroe News]

Info Updates:
No Updates Found
 Photos:27
Toledo Beach - Midway From Monroe News
Midway From Monroe News
Toledo Beach - Dance Hall
Dance Hall
Toledo Beach - Dance Hall
Dance Hall
Toledo Beach - Toledo Beach Streetcar 544 Pubby Ted Jensen
Toledo Beach Streetcar 544 Pubby Ted Jensen
Toledo Beach - Old Post Card From Toledo Beach
Old Post Card From Toledo Beach
Toledo Beach - Old Post Card From Toledo Beach
Old Post Card From Toledo Beach
Toledo Beach - Old Post Card From Toledo Beach
Old Post Card From Toledo Beach
Toledo Beach - Old Post Card From Toledo Beach
Old Post Card From Toledo Beach
Toledo Beach - Old Post Card From Toledo Beach
Old Post Card From Toledo Beach
Toledo Beach - Old Post Card From Toledo Beach
Old Post Card From Toledo Beach
Toledo Beach - Old Post Card From Toledo Beach
Old Post Card From Toledo Beach
Toledo Beach - Old Post Card From Toledo Beach
Old Post Card From Toledo Beach
Toledo Beach - Old Post Card From Toledo Beach
Old Post Card From Toledo Beach
Toledo Beach - Old Post Card From Toledo Beach
Old Post Card From Toledo Beach
Toledo Beach - Old Post Card From Toledo Beach
Old Post Card From Toledo Beach
Toledo Beach - Old Post Card From Toledo Beach
Old Post Card From Toledo Beach
Toledo Beach - Harry Atwood Landing Sea Plane At Park 1913 From Monroe News
Harry Atwood Landing Sea Plane At Park 1913 From Monroe News
Toledo Beach - July 9 2022 Photo
July 9 2022 Photo
Toledo Beach - July 9 2022 Photo
July 9 2022 Photo
Toledo Beach - July 9 2022 Photo
July 9 2022 Photo
Toledo Beach - July 9 2022 Photo
July 9 2022 Photo
Toledo Beach - July 9 2022 Photo
July 9 2022 Photo
Toledo Beach - July 9 2022 Photo
July 9 2022 Photo
Toledo Beach - July 9 2022 Photo
July 9 2022 Photo
Toledo Beach - July 9 2022 Photo
July 9 2022 Photo
Toledo Beach - July 9 2022 Photo
July 9 2022 Photo
Toledo Beach - July 9 2022 Photo
July 9 2022 Photo
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