Earthquake
1965-1984
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Earthquake was one of Cedar Point's dark rides. The ride first opened at Freedomland Theme Park in 1960. The park was not profitable, so Cedar Point purchased both the Pirate Ride and the Earthquake from the park.
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Cedar Point originally wanted the Earthquake to open in 1964. They could not open the ride, so they contracted a family to set up a "Baby Animal Farm". The attraction was so popular that the park had contacted the family to stay with the park and expand the concept. It would be relocated to an area just past Sky Ride, where it became Junge Lary's Safari Island.
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The Eartquake dark ride opened at Cedar Point in 1965. The ride would be placed inside a new building.
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Earthquake was built and designed by Arrow Development of Mountain View, California. Over the years Arrow would build several rides at Cedar Point including: Cadillac Cars (1958), Turnpike Cars (1959-2014), Mill Race (1963-1993), Earthquake (1965), Pirate Ride (1966-1996), Shoot-the-rapids (1967-1981), Cedar Creek Mine Ride (1969), Antique Cars (1969-2021), Corkscrew (1976), Gemini (1978), White Water Landing (1982-2005), Iron Dragon (1987), Magnum Xl-200 (1989), and Snake River Falls (1993-2024).
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Earthquake was located between the Coliseum Arcade and Pagoda Gift Shop.
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Earthquake took riders on an adventure where they would experience the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake.
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Earthquake Ride Facts:
Built: 1960 for Freedomland Theme Park Moved to Cedar Point: 1965 Manufacturer: Arrow Development Type: dark ride Location: Main Midway between Coliseum Arcade and Pagoda Gift Shop Closed: 1984 |
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After Earthquake opened in 1965 Cedar Point would continue to add rides and attractions designed to entertain the entire family including: Pirate Ride (1966-1996), Cedar Downs Racing Derby (1967), Frontier Town (1967), Shoot-the-rapids (1967-1981), Sky Slide (1968-1991), Cedar Creek Mine Ride (1969), Antique Cars (1969-2021), Cedar Point’s 100th Anniversary Celebration (1970), Frontier Trail (1971), Giant Wheel (1972), Matterhorn (1972), Jumbo Jet (1972-1978), Cedar Point Cinema (1975-1971), Corkscrew (1976), Troika (1976), Witches’ Wheel (1977-2018), Gemini (1978), Gemini Children’s Area (1979-2013), Wave Swinger (1979), Oceania (1980-1998, Ocean Motion (1981), Kid Arthur’s Court (1982-1999), White Water Landing (1982-2005), and Demon Drop (1983). All of these attractions gave Cedar Point’s guests a new experience.
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Earthquake closed at the end of the 1984 season. The ride itself was removed, but the building itself would be repurposed for other attractions.
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In 1985, Berenstain Bear Country opened in the space that had previously been home to the Earthquake. It expanded a few times over the years. In 1997, Cedar Fair L.P., the company that owned Cedar Point at the time, bought Knott's Berry Farm in California. That park owned the rights to the Peanuts franchise. Berenstain Bear Country closed in 1998.
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In 1999 Snoopy Boutique opened, where it replaced Berenstain Bear Bear Country.
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Snoopy Boutique was a gift shop. It remained at the park for the next 22 years as Snoopy Boutique.
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Peanuts @ the Point is a nice gift shop, but many park guests miss Earthquake.
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Earthquake may not have been the best dark ride, but it sure was a fun experience that guests still talk about today. It has been over 41 years since the ride left Cedar Point.
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Last Updated: 05/01/2025
Photos by: Cedar Point, Ron Hintze, Doug Jackson, Todd Sydney, Andrew Borgen, and Jake Hamons.
