CRAIG BEACH Fast facts

Location: The beach entrance is on Grandview Road north of Glenwood Avenue in the village of Craig Beach. The village is on the west bank of Lake Milton between Interstate 76 and Pritchard-Ohltown Road.Village population, from 2000 U.S. Census: 1,762.Estimated beach visitors thus far this year: 72,125.Total beach visitors, 2001: 55,800.Beach facilities: 600-foot-long sand beach, picnic tables, restrooms, change booths, showers, playground, basketball court and sand volleyball court. A jet ski rental concession also is located near the beach.Beach hours: Sunrise to sunset.History: The village of Craig Beach is located on part of a trail that connected Youngstown and Akron along the Mahoning River in the early 1800s. In 1803, Nathaniel Stanley and John Vanetten decided to settle along the trail with their families. The area still was rural in 1913, when a severe flood swept through the Mahoning Valley. To prevent future floods, Youngstown officials built a dam on the Mahoning River in 1917 and formed Lake Milton. The area was ripe for growth, and Ward Craig took advantage of its potential by opening a dance hall in an old barn the same year the dam was built. The dance hall evolved into an amusement park located on Jersey Street with rides, games and concessions. The beach also was built and the area became a resort. In 1932, local officials incorporated the area and named it after the Craig family, who owned 160 acres of farmland in the village.The amusement park was razed in 1966 to make room for a new recreation facility that was never built. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources took control of the beach from Youngstown in the late 1980s.Administration: The beach area is part of Lake Milton State Park and is maintained by the ODNR.Contact: Lake Milton State Park, 16801 Mahoning Ave., Lake Milton 44429-9998. Phone: (330) 654-4989. Web site: http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/parks/parks/lkmilton.htm
Source: Vindicator files,
Lake Milton State Park officials