In the beginning it was a picnic spot with beaches, athletic fields, bicycle tracks, and a stunning Mangels-Illions carousel. There's a white sand beach, walking trails, water sports, a waterside restaurant, an ice cream parlor and an in-ground pool. There are no hotels. It was like a little cruise. Only about a third of a milea 5 to 10-minute walk, depending on your speedfrom the ferry dock on the west side of the island, east on Bob-Lo Island Boulevard, to the marina on the other side of the narrow island. One to pick up, and one to return people. So when we went to the Island, we took a cab to the downtown docks to catch the first boat out and then we would return on the last boat. He enjoys suffering through Lions games on Sundays in the fall. The goal of developers is to someday populate the entire island with neighborhoods. By golf cart or bike or on foot are the only ways to navigate the crushed limestone trails that cover the remainder of the island,but for the residential area (the only place where cars are allowed). Windsor Mayor Arthur John Reaume wanted the island to be designated a National Park. Competition came in, e.g., Sea World. Nessel calls on DTE, Consumers to issue automatic power outage credits after storm. [1] Other smaller ferries served the park from Amherstburg and Gibraltar, Michigan, which were located closer to the park on the Detroit River. "I have all the amenities of city life that I need within walking distance in Amherstburg, and all the amazing amenities the island life brings me.". Several Detroit organizations held annual picnics on the island. The 18-mile boat ride was carried out by the famous ships: the Columbia, built in 1902, and the Ste. Boblo Island was very special. The park opened in 1898 and closed its doors for good on September 30th,1993 as a result of poor management, rising maintenance costs and declining attendance thanks to more attractive parks in the region like Cedar Point. Find useful information, the address and the phone number of the local business you are looking for. Ive always wondered about the island and have wanted to go back. Take a look at the link below as we take you a journey through what was once Boblo Island Amusement Park, right up to its emerging transformation. Many years later, the ferries were sold but the service was continued by a number of different, smaller boats. ), Thank you so much for the great information. By 1742, a French mission among the Hurons was established. The island is mainly a place where people can live in serenity. British troops captured 60 of the attackers and built three log blockhouses to defend the island. One of the three original blockhouses still stands on the southern end of the island. Barb's Boblo Tavern. I can still feel the sun and the wind as one of the great boats took us to the Island. - Kathy G. We kids were able to run up and down the stairs on the boat and go to the dance floor. In 1973, the Thunder Bolt coaster was built, which drew long lines. There is a dock at the restaurant on the island, Sue. Really sad. The SS Ste. Why did Boblo Island close? The ferry is run for the island residents, their guests, and prospective buyers of lots in the Triamico Development Affiliates marina resort community. However, there is a public restaurant, the Bob-Lo Island Beach House, on the west side of the island by the marina (ferry docks at the east side). Getting to the dock in Detroit early in the morning, the anticipation of boarding the boat, the ride on the river, the views, the fact I could play an arcade game on a boat blew my small mind. Bring a bike or plan to hike as the only streets to accommodate cars are in the development. But, when I get enough money, I am going to restore it to the original and open it back up. Boblo Island closed for essentially the same reasons as many other urban amusement parks closed. This is the view now from the end of the tunnel. Boblo Island Timeline from the Detroit News, "Bob-Lo Excursion Co. v. Michigan, 333 U.S. 28 (1948)", "Boblo amusement park purchased by U.S. firm", "Park yours for $9 million: Owner says sellany development OK", "Boblo remains viable business, observer says", "Boblo Island gets no nibbles, no takers, says realtor", "Bad news rains on financially troubled Boblo", "Michigan investors unlikely to appeal Boblo ownership", "Boblo tradition seems safer with Seattle owner", "Dance band on the Titanic: Boblo's last tangle", "Former Boblo partner sues ex-partners over sale", "Boblo's roller-coaster saga ends: Piece by historic piece, popular park dismantled", "Boblo's heyday not forgotten: New owner has ties to area", "New Boblo owner offers few details to packed house", "Boblo Island to get 52-home development", "Oram outlines plans for Boblo Island's condominium project", "Boblo in receivership: Island awash in $19M in red ink", "Boblo adrift in red ink: Receiver KPMG finds no money left", "Boblo rising from the dust: New ownership infuses elite island community with optimism", "Amherstburg reminisces after Boblo Island tower demolished", Boblo Island Dance Hall Story from the Detroit News, "Detroit Free Press: Former Boblo Island music machine may draw up to $2.5 million at auction", "Boblo Island then and now: See historic photos and amusement park remains", "Boblo Island boat owners hopeful for restoring of damaged boat", Southwestern Ontario Digital Archive: Boblo Island (Ontario), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Boblo_Island_Amusement_Park&oldid=1114994535, Tourist attractions in Essex County, Ontario, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 9 October 2022, at 09:00. In the ride's final incarnation, the train itself was a scale recreation of Central Pacific Railroad's 19 th century C.P. Find useful information, the address and the phone number of the local business you are looking for. Visit Boblo.ca for information about living on the island. Locate and compare Service d'ambulance in Mersea ON, Yellow Pages Local Listings. I know the kids and people of this generation are definitely looking forward to more developments. Some of the most popular rides were "The Nightmare," "Sky Streak, "Screamer," and "Wild Mouse.". The restaurants 2013 grand opening was May 24th. Hundreds of small amusement parks went out in 1980s as families all went to super amusement parks like Cedar Point and Six Flags and did not visit small ones often. The Whip was installed in 1920, which was a huge hit, essentially paying for itself. 2023 Detroit Historical Society. [9] The loss of the Detroit ferry service dented attendance severely in the 1992 season, which along with poor weather caused the park to miss its attendance goal. Or for the Lavatory building next to it, built to match the other stone buildings on the island. http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2013/05/23/grosse-iles-sugar-island-beach-opens-to-public-saturday/ (Sorry, you may need to copy and paste the website addresses above; my link feature is not successfully linking at the moment. Yes, I list http://www.boblo.ca as a source where one can get more information in my book Great Lakes Island Escapes: Ferries and Bridges to Adventure (Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 2016). All rights reserved (About Us). The ship in mid-swing. Boblo closed for good in September 1993. what a fun and exciting place. For visitors based in Detroit, it was about 30 kilometers away and could be reached by ferry. BOBLO ISLAND AMUSEMENT PARK entertained people from both Canada and USA for 96 YEARS ! Visiters to the marina can visit the small gallery of photographs and paintings of water scenes or rent bikes to explore the island (although what appeared to be the bike rental building was closed on this July Saturday, so perhaps not). And I stood and looked across the river, and what I remember is no longer there, and Im 54 years old . People from all over Michigan, Canada and from as far away as California, have chosen to make Boblo Island their home. The only other way to get to the island is to dock a private boat. Heres an article that was in this past Sundays Detroit Free Press: http://www.freep.com/article/20140706/NEWS05/307060053/boblo-island-memories-boat-development Speaking of Sugar Island, have you heard, as of last year, theres now a public beach there? Share. There are just two ways in and out of the island. - LJ. Yes, Kathy, the Bob-Lo Island Beach House Restaurant is an easy walk. St. Bois Blanc has been part of Canada since 1787. When I was riding my bike on a trail that runs through the middle of the island, I came upon a T-intersection buried amidst tall, tall grass, with the Carousel Building on my left and the Powerhouse on my right. [11] Roger Fachini, a 40-year-old engineer for General Dynamics and owner of a waterpark in Utica, Michigan, placed the winning $3.8 million bid and proposed redevelopment after two years,[12][13] but Boblo's creditors turned it down; after the deposit cheque bounced, they took $600,000 less in the bid from Enchanted Parks of Seattle, owners of the Wild Waves Theme Park near that city. The Carousel Building, built in 1905 to house the first amusement ride on Bob-Lo Island, served as a convention hall and later, the roller-skating rink (beginning with the 1940 season) before ending up as a theater. To the north of the road leading from the ferry dock is a subdivision ofmini-mansions and duplexes, with an emphasis on stone and heavy on Victorian-style turrets. Private cottages and government property remained at the north and south ends of the island. The ferry is a short four minute ride to the island. This is a small area of the white sand beach open to residents of Boblo Island. I wish that the people that bought this island could restore it. With a blast of the big steam whistle, lines were cast off, and the 20-mile voyage began, taking about 80 minutes. Beginning in 1952, Joe Short, a man of diminutive physical stature, was employed as 'Captain Boblo', and traveled on the boats entertaining passengers of all ages. Boblo Island looks much different today, and if developers reach their goals, it will be almost unrecognizable to past thrill-seekers. . Suddenly, without any warning, there was a relatively large mammal in the middle of the trail, directly in the line of my front bike tire. [30], The Falling Star, log flume, Enterprise, Sky Tower (Space Needle), Ferris wheel, a zoo, and a carousel were the signature attractions. Millions of Americans and Canadians share memories of riding the Swan Boats or the train that circled the park. Colorful adirondack chairs surround a campfire pit near Captain Bob's. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Detroit, Windsor and Belle Isle Ferry Company, From 2018: Old Boblo Island boat catches fire at Detroit marina. Here's what we saw as we recently explored the amusement park area. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Boblo Island is preparing to greet more than 200 new residents with construction soon to begin and new roads in the south end of the island recently completed . Boblo Island today: The native Wyandot called the island "Etiowiteendannenti.Both the Wyandot and French names refer to the white wood appearance lent by the birch and poplar trees that line the banks. What did you do? Over four decades, later, on July 30, 2011, I spent an afternoon on Bob-Lo. Newly restored in the Spring of 2013 by the residents of the community, they now offer Blockhouse tours on most Sundays from 1pm - 4pm. The park has been closed since 1993 DETROIT - Say the name "Boblo" to anyone who grew up around Michigan, and their eyes will light up. I do hope that someone will come along and restore the park back to its prime, so we can get families and the community back together again, and we can share our memories with the generations to come. I remember going to Boblo Island when I was a child, having fun riding rides; our children will never be able to do that. Boblo Island looks much different today, and if developers reach their goals, it will be almost unrecognizable to past thrill-seekers The Bob-Lo boats, once looked upon as part of the attraction of going on a trip to Bob-Lo were later being looked at as time wasted that could have been spent at the park. Locate and compare 4423631-Canada-Inc in Colchester Country ON, Yellow Pages Local Listings. Although Boblo Island Beach House is pretty good. During the 1920s and 1930s, swimming contests were held that went fromBelle Isleto Bob-Lo, covering 24 miles. The amusement park was so famous in its day that Henry Ford himself provided money for a Dance Hall to be built, designed by the architect John Scott. Very little remains, physically, of the amusement park attractions, but what we did find is fascinating, as you'll see in the link below. It is the remnant of a place where river boats took passengers to an amusement park on a Canadian island just to the south western end of the Detroit River. http://boblo.ca/. The 1878 Mangels-Illions Carousels 44 horses, two goats, and two deer were sold for more than $1 million. An island in Amherstburg, Ont. [1] Screamer, a double corkscrew; Nightmare, an indoor all-dark ride; and Sky Streak, a steel out-and-back design, were its three roller coasters. It's located in Amherstburg, Ontario. After 1796, British interests controlled the island and it was the staging point for the first local action in the War of 1812. The steamers, the Ste. Abandoned Boblo Island Amusement Park is a former amusement park which ran from 1898 until its closure on September 30, 1993. why did boblo island close. The park has been closed since 1993, but the legend of Boblo is still strong. It was a terrible idea to put a roller coaster in there. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). The Beach House Goodie Shack offers apparel, gifts, and home decor for residents and visitors Thursday through Sunday. The children of this time will never get to enjoy what we did when we were children. It was on a small island in the Detroit River at the mouth of Lake Erie. His legacy died when the company came in and took over the park. Mon-Wed 8:30 - 7:00 Thu-Fri 8:30 - 7:00 Sat 8:30 . In 1991, those boats were sold and smaller ferries took people from Gibraltar, Mich., to the island, as well as Amherstburg. (From 2018: Old Boblo Island boat catches fire at Detroit marina), BOBLO BOAT TOUR: Take a video tour of the historic boat that traveled the Detroit River for 81 years. Please dont judge us without knowing us! Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Huntington. I found this very useful for Information! Claire provided . One island. You do it for other people. [29], The tower for the Space Needle ride was demolished in 2021, with Amicone citing "health and safety concerns". In this respect, today, Bob-Lo Island appears a bead broken off from the strand, adrift in more than just the Detroi River, its historic integrity drowned in the current of a sequence of ill-fated development schemes. [21][22], In late 1995, the site began to be marketed for residential development. On the far side of the ride, people wait in line. [10], With no buyers materializing, Norton Auctioneers of Coldwater, Michigan, was retained to sell the property at auction on February 10, 1993. How to get to Boblo Island: . Such a sad and difficult ending to such a WONDERFUL PLACE. Boblo Boats: A Detroit Ferry Tale YouTube Channel The park closed in 1993 as a result of poor management and attendance was shrinking because of other parks like Cedar Point. It's docked in New York. Claireoffered their own form of entertainment. Courtesy of the Detroit Historical Society, Photographer Joe Clark. Remember it was a time when girls wore dresses and not pants, so we sure had to be careful on the rides (check out the pictures how the girls were dressed). The 375-foot Sky Tower, rusting and visible from the Powerhouse and most of the island, as well as from other locations on the river like Grosse Ile: And a few other buildings, like the open one that may have housed the dodgem cars built in 1928, and another with more shattered windows, the Souvenir building. After coming aboard, visitors could look down from the main deck into the engine room, where powerful shafts and cams slowly warmed up. The biggest surprise during my visit to Bob-Lo came from a different sort of stranger than the type Id been envisioning when I was watching the girls swim in the river. Detroit Publishing Co via the Library of Congress, This appears to be the SS Columbia Boblo Boat, which was built in 1902, Ferry dock on Boblo Island - between 1890 and 1901. I, too, went there every year as a child from Detroit. A model of existing and future residential properties and harbor on Boblo Island at the Boblo Discovery Centre in Amherstburg, Ontario. - Mellissa M. Sources: BobloSteamers.com, Water Winter Wonderland. There appears to be no such organization, which may not be so surprising. About Boblo Island: One cant imagine a happy centennial celebration for this historic building . Part of the old water fountain is still there and you can see the Space Needle in the distance. Why not this man who gave everyone joy in life with their families? Bois Blanc Island, former site of the Bob-Lo Island amusement park, is located at southern endof the DetroitRiver before it enters Lake Erie,and is about one-half mile wide and three miles long. My husband is from He previously worked for Ringling Brothers Circus and captivated children with adventurous tales and knock-knock jokes until his retirement in 1974, at the age of 90. The Columbia is undergoing restoration. They transformed the island into an amusement park, including a coaster, Ferris wheel, fun house and more. Why did Boblo Island shut down? The ships ferried people to the Boblo Island amusement park on the Detroit River for 89 years until they ceased operation in 1991. The dock is gone and the passageway is mostly surrounded by weeds and overgrown grass. Boblo Island, originally names Bois Blanc (White Woods in French) opened as a Park in 1898. In 1993, after nearly 100 years in the business of entertainment, it was decided that the park was to be closed. Sue Cicala. The Columbia's ship keeper, Sam Buchanan, said the St. Clair has "a prominent role" in. Rochester Hills mom testifies about 2 . Ex-MSU dean sues interim president for leading alleged plot to remove him. Unfortunately, my search came up empty. A miniature railroad was built around the island in the 60s, along with a upgraded dock area. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Boblo Island Amusement Park is an abandoned amusement park which operated from 1898 until its closure on September 30, 1993. . So sad. Here are some of the homes and what life is like on Boblo Island today. "[2] The Michigan Supreme Court fined the company $25 for the discrimination they presented towards Ray. The SS Ste. why did boblo island closeconservation international ceo. Claire and the SS Columbia? St. Clair Shores (1950-60s) & never went to the park. "Living on the island feels like being on vacation everyday," said Gena Boschin, a former Tennessee resident who lives on the island and works in Amherstburg. You can also see the large stage and the curtain with big holes in it. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. [2] Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Bob-Lo Excursion Company and the 50 years of Canadian-American use of Bob-Lo Island as an International recreation area. Ken Haddad is the digital content and audience manager for WDIV / ClickOnDetroit.com. They are 1,405 square feet with a full basement. when was the last day of this park operated (i mean the last summur )when it was open for public for the last and until what day was the ferry or the steamer making trip, and can you visit it now. Embark on a CRUISE FROM DETROIT for the first time in decades, Stay the night at this ghostly-looking MICHIGAN CASTLE, SECRET VINTAGE COKE MUSEUM inside a Michigan 50's diner. The 1991, the boats ceased their 81-year run, and the park closed in 1993. Many of the other rides are still entertaining guests at parks in Texas, Maryland, British Columbia, and Mexico. My husband is on the Grosse Ile Historical Society BoardI have pictures of Sugar Island in its heyday. Boblo Island Amusement Park had its own custom version of bumper cars, known as Boblos Scootaboats. The 16mm film is from around 1960. [19] He vaguely proposed a casino, hotel, and other development. Boats are docked in the Boblo Island Marina, located on the western shore of the island. Enjoy Obscured in a small wooded area between the Dance Pavilion and the Terminal are the remains of the minature golf course: Consider this: I did not see another person during my entire afternoon exploration of the historic sites on the island, except for three young teenage girls I observed leaving the Resorts community pool and making their way down to the river alone, to the channel between Bob-Lo and Amherstburg, where, nestled next to the Terminal, is a very small sand beach where they swam. The name 'Boblo' came back recently after a massive fire destroyed an iconic ferry that used to take people to and from the now closed island amusement park.