Ontario Beach Park, known now as Charlotte Beach, emerged as a lakeside destination in 1852, when the New York Central Railroad built the first line there from the city of Rochester. With heavy investment from the railroad the park grew to host amusement rides and sideshows, earning itself the nickname "Coney Island of the West." Trains, ferries and soon Rochester's electric trolley system, carried thousands of visitors to the beach through the 1920's.
