(Emily Rose Bennett | MLive.com). Bleacher seating remains intact in the abandoned theater. Many of you remember taking the journey to the top for a breathtaking view of the park. He had hoped to build a bridge to Bob-Lo to eliminate the inconvenience of the boat rides, but he did not realize (or appreciate) that Bob-Lo Island was across an international border from Michigan. This is actually only about half of the full-size basement which has been fitted with windows and electricity for add-on bedrooms. There are just two ways in and out of the island. Its amusement rides were sold in 1994. DETROITAny Michigander of a certain vintage won't forget their giddiness en route to Boblo Island amusement park, a carefree ferry ride from Detroit's metropolis to a land that seemed a world away. The restaurant just opened for the season on the 24th, this past Friday. One of the many residential homes on the north end of Boblo Island, Ontario, seen Wednesday, July 27, 2016. [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. It is now an expensive, gated housing community with a private clubhouse. The first amusement park rides were moving by 1910. Over the years it grew into a unique island amusement park, with a midway and dozens of rides. With probably more than a bit of clean-up and reconstruction, it would make a wonderful venue for a wedding reception!!! Very little remains, physically, of the amusement park attractions, but what we did find is fascinating, as you'll see in the link below. . A parking stub from Boblo Island, 1988 Known as Boblo Amusement Park, it was wildly popular with American tourists throughout much of the 20th century until it closed in 1993. i need a boblo island abandoned amusement park date pic . Here are some of the homes and what life is like on Boblo Island today. We toured the Ste Claire in 2015 while restoration efforts were ongoing before fire gutted it on July 6, 2018. Clair and the SS Columbia. The folks from the residential areas use golf carts toget to the community pool in the center of the island, just a stones throw from the almost hundred-year-old, still standing Dance Pavilion: And here is where things get interesting. Boblo Boats: A Detroit Fairy Tale Boblo Boats: A Detroit Ferry Tale YouTube Channel On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. My husband is from From the top deck of the SS St. Claire, passengers watch the SS Columbia (built in 1902). Here are some of the homes and what life is like on Boblo Island today. The dock is gone and the passageway is mostly surrounded by weeds and overgrown grass. The park was located on Bois Blanc Island, Ontario. The last day of "Oldies Week" is today (at least for now), and the response from the Woody Boater community was fantastic. Instead, the island and steamships were purchased by the Browning family. The plan is to restore it and have it run in the Hudson River Valley. A model of existing and future residential properties and harbor on Boblo Island at the Boblo Discovery Centre in Amherstburg, Ontario. They created a destination to keep themselves busy on the weekend. I agree. [14], The 1993 season proved bumpy and was marred by miscues including disputes with island residents and the Canadian Coast Guard, compounded by the leader of Enchanted Parks, Michael Moodenbaugh, being seriously injured and breaking his spine in a car accident in Toledo, Ohio, in September. http://bit.ly/2cIo6Ny. The price is around $500k. Theme parks, like Lake Shawnee Park in West Virginia, closed down after guests died at the park. Boblo Island Amusement Park is an abandoned amusement park which operated from 1898 until its closure on September 30, 1993. Both doors are were chain locked. Boats are docked in the Boblo Island Marina, located on the western shore of the island. 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. While incapacitated in hospital, he lost legal control of island. Action Park in New Jersey is known as the most dangerous amusement park in the country, six people passed away from 1980 to 1987. It opened in 1898 as Boblo Island Amusement Park on Bois Blanc Island (not the Bois Blanc up near Mackinac Island, but the one on the Detroit River). Such a sad and difficult ending to such a WONDERFUL PLACE. The cars operated by drawing power from an overhead electric grid unlike the Bumper Boats in use today. The island has quite an interesting history. All the passengers who had purchased round-trip tickets were comfortably aboardall, that is, but one. BOBLO Island poster. As I have written to the owner of the company that bought the island: You have no idea how much Boblo Island Amusement Park was to our society. Its very sad because growing up that was all everyone talked about was Boblo Island, and all the amazing memories. | 5401 Woodward, Detroit, MI 48202. The audio journey to Mars is etched in my brain! It may be under different management than when I had a pretty tasty perch sandwich there, but you can find out more, including their hours at: http://www.boblo.ca/pages/living/restaurant.html, Thank you very much for info. The best time was 8 hours and 42 minutes turned in by 17-year old Dorothy de Caussin and 15-year old Ida Mutnick, both of Detroit. Boblo Island Amusement Park was an amusement park which ran from 1898 until its closure on September 30, 1993. For many people the best ride of the day was on the Bob-Lo Boat that took visitors to the island. You can also see the large stage and the curtain with big holes in it. It is completely grown over with weeds and trees. These are some of the many doors leading to the inside of the old Dance Hall. In 1958 the island was the site of joint Canadian-American war games, addressing a hostile force presence with amphibious units from around the Great Lakes. Boblo Island Amusement Park had its own custom version of bumper cars, known as Boblos Scootaboats. (Emily Rose Bennett | MLive.com). It is so cool to see the old dock piers and the beach is sand. Windsor Mayor Arthur John Reaume wanted the island to be designated a National Park. Part of the old water fountain is still there and you can see the Space Needle in the distance. - Brandon, I am 73 years old and remember my parents taking me to Bob-Lo after picking me up at Willow Run Airport after a visit with relatives in Miami FL when I was 8 years old. The ferry leaves every 20 minutes from a dock next to the Bob-Lo Discovery Centre. The ride takes about 5 or 10 minutes, instead of the hour it used to take whenone departedon the other side of the border. Riding the Rotor at Kennywood Park near Pittsburgh in 1955. If it wasnt for him to have done that for everyone, our world would never have known how peaceful, relaxing, fun, and most of all memorable a park could be. It was finally decided in 1949 to officially re-name the island and the park Bob-Lo, in a matter of simplification (today it is still referred to by both names on maps of the area). Claire. [2] After Michigan found Bob-Lo guilty and fined the company, Bob-Lo filed a lawsuit against the state, Bob-Lo Excursion Co. v. Michigan, 333 U.S. 28 (1948). I wish that the people that bought this island could restore it. Which theme park has the most deaths? For visitors based in Detroit, it was about 30 kilometers away and could be reached by ferry. To get to Bob-Lo Island in the 21st century, you take a ferry from Amherstburg, Ontario, instead of from the old dock on Jefferson Avenue in Detroit. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Over four decades, later, on July 30, 2011, I spent an afternoon on Bob-Lo. Your email address will not be published. My most vivid memory is the Sky Diver ride. Although there was a bike rental business near the marina and Beach House Restaurant on the west side of the island (the ferry dock is on the east side of the island), it was not open for business on the beautiful summer weekend day I was there, so I wouldnt count on being able to rent a bike on the island. What a wonderful goal, Andrew! It was a terrible idea to put a roller coaster in there. I am so sad every time I think about Bob Lo. After Memorial Day Weekend in 1997, park rangers learned that the arch had collapsed. You know what I think, I have never been over there. And then came the Boblo Island Amusement Park with its famous Screamer, Nightmare, and Wild Mouse rides, its zoo, and carousel. There are two total bedrooms in this home. Though not all is lost. "[2] The Michigan Supreme Court fined the company $25 for the discrimination they presented towards Ray. This is now the only ferry which goes to and from Boblo Island. It's sister boat, the Columbia, was built in 1902. Boblo (or Bob-Lo) sparks memories for many adults who. By I grew up visiting the island and Im hoping to return to explore it again someday. The only other way to get to the island is to dock a private boat. We went alot and when my family''s jobs had company picnic it would always be Bob Lo. They transformed the island into an amusement park, including a coaster, Ferris wheel, fun house and more. You can take a tour of the model homes on Boblo Island on Saturdays and Sundays with an island specialist by calling 519-736-1111. Ferry passengers could be going to the island to patronize the restaurant. What did you do? Few physical reminders remain from the amusement park, which closed in 1993, but the island has had a surprising resurgence - as a quiet but thriving residential community. This historic boat carried passengers to and from Boblo Island, and amusement park located on the Detroit River. Im glad you made this comment. 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. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. Did you work on both the SS Ste. After the short ferry ride, residents simply drive right onto the island onto Boblo Island Blvd. 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. - LJ. Opened in Orlando in 1976, River Country was Walt Disney's first waterpark. 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. They are located next to the Dance Hall. The 1991, the boats ceased their 81-year run, and the park closed in 1993. The dance pavilion built in 1913 was the largest in North America until 1925. You may have more than a few challenges now that people live there, but I wish you the best of luck! Particularly down at White Sands beach below the Lighthouse (http://www.flickr.com/photos/33535417@N05/4112593095/), where two boats were anchored during my visit to the south end of the island with a large group of partying young people. He was 20 years older than me. Plant life around the old Space Needle observation tower. How to live on Boblo Island: 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. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Boblo (or Bob-Lo) sparks memories for many adults who. In the distance is a building featuring dozens of condos. Every home on the island is just steps away from the water. - Mellissa M. Sources: BobloSteamers.com, Water Winter Wonderland. Here are the instructions how to enable JavaScript in your web browser. Why not this man who gave everyone joy in life with their families? It's docked in New York. Copyright 2023 ClickOnDetroit.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. . See more ideas about island, amusement park, boblo boat. For the people who bought property thereyou bought land that was so important to the neighboring cities and had brought so many families together. Each year the largest gathering was sponsored by the St. Andrews Society of Detroit, which would often draw more than 10,000 visitors to their Scottish Games. Claire, built in 1910. My birthday is coming up, maybe my family can take me to the island. Boblo Island is accessible by a 16-car ferry that departs from the dock next to the Bob-Lo Island Discovery Centre, which is at 340 Dalhousie St., Amherstburg, ON. Boblo Island now boasts deluxe houses and condos, valued from $184,000 to $1.15 million, with walk-out basements and turreted views of the Detroit River. About Boblo Island Amusement Park: The living space of the Deerview twin villas. 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. Its sad that my kids will never be able to go there and ride the same rides I did as a kid. The island is now a residential community. Today, 24 years after the park was closed and 118 years after its grand opening, little remains as a reminder of the islands history. This is what the more than 100-year old steamer looked like a few years ago. Explore. Poison ivy now grows in the ring of mature trees in front of the Lavatory building, where I imagine the men in hatsretiring for a smoke while they await their dates inflapper attireto emerge from The Ladies Room.. If you are adventurous and don't mind a difficult climb, you can make a reservation (months in advance) and enter the crown. British troops captured 60 of the attackers and built three log blockhouses to defend the island. People from all over Michigan, Canada and from as far away as California, have chosen to make Boblo Island their home. Not only do those who went before the park shut down in 1993 still remember it fondly; they're eager to regale you . Gone are the roller coasters, but there are plenty of haunting remnants from Boblo Island Amusement Park, which delivered thrills and family fun from 1898 to September 30, 1993. The island was home to a popular amusement park starting in the late 1890s. Though many of the amusement park structures have been torn down, you might still hear a passing. The restaurants 2013 grand opening was May 24th. Ive always wondered about the island and have wanted to go back. It is not fair that these people can just take away the little bit of history we have left just so they can watch their bank accounts rise. Your email address will not be published. [20] Oram then leased and shut down the White Sands boater's hangout adjacent to the park site, citing trespassers but infuriating boaters; as a result, the lease was dropped within weeks. OBSCURIST TOURIST 025 - Boblo Island Amusement Park is an abandoned amusement park which operated from 1898 until its closure on September 30, 1993. 272 acres. I found this very useful for Information! That is what the park was supposed to be about. This house is 2,040 square feet with a full basement. Gloomy days sometimes deserve black and white treatment. [32] The dance hall was the second largest in the world, holding 5,000 dancers at full capacity[31] and featured one of the world's largest orchestrions from the Welte company: a 16 foot tall, 14 foot wide, self-playing Wotan-model orchestrion with 419 pipes and percussion section. 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). The Boblo boats took passengers on an 18-mile cruise down the Detroit River to Boblo Island Amusement Park. Without Michael's approval the park was closed, the rides sold off, dismantled and shipped away. Why did Boblo Island shut down? BOBLO ISLAND AMUSEMENT PARK entertained people from both Canada and USA for 96 YEARS ! "Yeah, she's 110 years old, but she's well-built and she survived," said boat co-owner, Ron Kattoo. We were participating in a totally sanctioned, transportation-provided-by-the-school-district Ninth-Grade Skip Day. We would have boarded either the Ste. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. For more than 85 years, the Boblo Island Amusement Park was famous for being served by the Steamer Ste Claire and the Steamer Columbia excursion boats that could hold about 2,500 passengers each. The Bobl-Lo Island of today? The boat was taken to Toledo on Tuesday. [2], Though it was not looking for a buyer, the Michigan AAA sold Boblo Island in 1988 to the International Broadcasting Corporation, a Minneapolis-based concern that owned the Harlem Globetrotters and Ice Capades. Many years later, the ferries were sold but the service was continued by a number of different, smaller boats. My twin daughters, now 35, remember, but my son, 28, will never know. [19] He vaguely proposed a casino, hotel, and other development. 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. Claire, former Boblo Boat", Bois Blanc Island Lighthouse National Historic Site of Canada, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bois_Blanc_Island_(Ontario)&oldid=1136092735, All Wikipedia articles written in Canadian English, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2015, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 28 January 2023, at 18:24. The island was also an important stop on the Underground Railroad to Canada, which worked to help escaped slaves leave the country. saki, Japan. Not one thing mentioned on the dance hall being 100 years old this year. It is boarded up but . Copyright 2019 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved. In fact didn''t go as much as I would of liked to. Id built up this image of perfectly cut green grass, flowers, water slides and party halls, but what I saw when I stepped onto the old white dock was far from the oasis I was told about. 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. [1] Other smaller ferries served the park from Amherstburg and Gibraltar, Michigan, which were located closer to the park on the Detroit River. Boblo Island closed for essentially the same reasons as many other urban amusement parks closed. Plants and overgrown grass fill the dirt paths near the Space Needle. The Boblo Island Beach House Restaurant is located along the western shore of the island by the marina. Is there a safe dock area, in which to leave our boat-(also Draft/depth) info .Is there a dock fee? The Browning Family sold the island in 1979, which led to several owners in the following years, including IBC and AAA of Michigan. Its maybe a five-minute ride, no more than 10 minutes with the docking. Bois Blanc Island, commonly called Boblo Island, is an island in the Detroit River on the Canadian side of the border and is part of Amherstburg Skip to content Menu The place is oozing history. So sad. Between my concerns for the submerged rocks of the river and the mortar of history I was climbing over, I thought, what a wonderful place this island would be to explore if you were a kid or teenager and what a nightmare it poses for parents or grandparents of those explorers! Morale among the employees both on the Boats and the Island was at an all-time low according to some veteran workers. Its a wonderful feeling strolling the island, standing next to buildings where 10s of thousands of souls now long departed use to frequent. Which may not be surprising, given that its been many thingscamp for European explorers, fortress, picnic spot, dance venue, amusement park, retreatto many people over the centuries beginning with four Algonquin and Iroquoian tribes:the Ojibwa (Chippewa), Ottawa, Potawatomi and the Wyandot (Huron)one source claims the original name of the island was Etiowiteedannenti, a name bestowed by the Wyandotand followed by: The first recorded passage to the island, which was named Bois Blanc (White Woods), by the French dates from 1670. 525 55 shares Like Most relevant Ryan Hance How long ago did this place close and why did it close down? For visitors based in Detroit, it was about 30 kilometers away and could be reached by ferry. 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 back of the 50,000-sq-ft building which was commissioned by Henry Ford and built in 1913. These people had no clue whatsoever as to the history of Detroit, or of Bob-Lo. He enjoys suffering through Lions games on Sundays in the fall. Boblo Island Amusement Park is an abandoned amusement park which operated from 1898 until its closure on September 30, 1993. During the Rebellion of 1837, "patriots" from the U.S. invaded the island in 1838. Ken Haddad is the digital content and audience manager for WDIV / ClickOnDetroit.com. Several Detroit organizations held annual picnics on the island. Can you go over to the island any time? The swan paddle boat ride was added in 1970, which became a fan favorite. Really sad. [32], Boblo's Scootaboats, which were very similar to well known Bumper Cars, were a popular ride. Photo courtesy of the Detroit Historical Society. "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.". 90-year old Captain Bob-Lo greets passengers - 1970s. Would love to know more about your experience working on the Bob-Lo boats. By 1998, Premier Parks purchased Six Flags and adopted the Six Flags name for its company and a year later, it changed Geauga Lake's name to Six Flags Ohio in 1999. The Boblo Island boat, S.S. Ste Claire, was destroyed on Friday morning after a massive fire on the ship. I know had I been related to this man, I would have kept his memory alive. How to get to Boblo Island: Built all the way back in 1898, the Boblo Island Amusement Park was a shining beacon of wholesome fun. Are docked in the Boblo island, Ontario to well known Bumper,. Relevant Ryan Hance how long ago did this PLACE close and why did it close down related this. 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