2y Gord Bailey OMG I worked that Ride! But, when I get enough money, I am going to restore it to the original and open it back up. The park was located on Bois Blanc Island, Ontario. Each year the largest gathering was sponsored by the St. Andrew's Society of Detroit, which would often draw more than 10,000 visitors to their Scottish Games. These are some of the many doors leading to the inside of the old Dance Hall. Explore. 10. I just kayaked to Boblo Island today, and I saw so much potential left in this land. . 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. Story by Edward Pevos of MLive Once home to a popular amusement park from 1898 to 1993, Boblo Island in Ontario is now home to residential property, marinas, a restaurant and more. Feb 11, 2022 - One of my favorite memories as a child. [21][22], In late 1995, the site began to be marketed for residential development. [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. [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. Rides, music, thrills, and lights attracted thousands of visitors year after year. It is now an expensive, gated housing community with a private clubhouse. I worked on the Boats in 1980. It was one of the most popular places to dance in the 1920s. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. In the distance is a building featuring dozens of condos. 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. Today it is overgrown: The Powerhouse, which looks like small limestone chapel, that provided electricityto the Carousel: The Dance Pavilion a 35,000 feet steel and limestone building designed by Albert Kahn and John Scott and completed in 1913. Presented in the name of the border cities of Detroit, Windsor, and Amherstburg. Boblo Island Amusement Park was an amusement park which ran from 1898 until its closure on September 30, 1993. Its a shame that Boblo Island had to close. When you disembark from the ferry, youfindyourself adjacent to a private very well-to-do residential area. Even the words scrawled across its portal announced simply "Eastwood Park.". A company called Premier Parks acquired the classic amusement park in 1995. Hoffmeister and Friese had an agreement that established . The definitive history of Bob-lo Island, a Canadian amusement park in the mouth of the Detroit River and a favorite recreation spot for generations of Detroit-area residents. [1] The park was located on Bois Blanc Island, Ontario, just above the mouth of the Detroit River. In June of 1999 Oram announced that he wished to recreate the amusement park on the mainland near Amherstburg, Ontario. You can also see the large stage and the curtain with big holes in it. It is slated to include a luxury hotel, international shops & restaurants, a 107-berth boat dock, and a pier large enough to accommodate lake cruise ships along with The S.S. . [5] The boats were sold off as a result of a decision to shutter operations at the Detroit dock. Plants and overgrown grass fill the dirt paths near the Space Needle. You do it for other people. 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. what a fun and exciting place. You can visit the island now, as I did in July of 2011 (all the photos accompanying the blog posting above were taken on that visit), by taking a small car ferry across a narrow strip of the Detroit River from the Bob-Lo Discovery Centre in Amherstburg, Ontario. The SS Ste. When autocomplete results are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. By 1742, a French mission among the Hurons was established. After 1796, British interests controlled the island and it was the staging point for the first local action in the War of 1812. Why not this man who gave everyone joy in life with their families? Ray was there to celebrate her graduation from secretarial school with her classmates. Claire, seen in 2016. [15] Moodenbaugh had hired Liberal MPP Remo Mancini to help market the park. If all this talk of Edgewater Park has sent you into a nostalgic funk, never fear: the video below, posted Claire and the Columbia, as well as their Detroit docks, had been divested a few years earlier in 1991. What I remember about Bob-Lo Island specifically, the entrance coming off of the boat, one of the last times I went the Simpsons were the mascots and I met Bart and Homer. This is the structure that once housed the Boblo Island Amusement Park bumper cars. From 1984 to 1985 there were 26 head injuries and 14 broken bones reported. Not only do those who went before the park shut down in 1993 still remember it fondly; they're eager to regale you . This is what the more than 100-year old steamer looked like a few years ago. By 1910 the first amusement park rides, the carousel, ponies and a dancing pavillion were available. Before I rode on it on the Island I had gone to a local fair and 3 other girls and I rode together on it and we laughed and really enjoyed it. Each held about 2,500 passengers. See more ideas about island, amusement park, boblo boat. Bleacher seating remains intact in the abandoned theater. Clair and the SS Columbia. 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 classic boats stopped running in 1991 and the amusement park was shuttered after the 1993 season. Boblo Boats: A Detroit Fairy Tale Boblo Boats: A Detroit Ferry Tale YouTube Channel Its a wonderful feeling strolling the island, standing next to buildings where 10s of thousands of souls now long departed use to frequent. People should not be making assumptions about the island residents. 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. Its amusement rides were sold in 1994. Boblo (or Bob-Lo) sparks memories for many adults who spent summers riding the ferry to Boblo Island, visiting its amusement park or just enjoying a picnic. Boblo Island was very special. How to rent hobbit-type MUSHROOM HOUSES in Northern Michigan, Haunting insides of the abandoned NORTHVILLE PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL, See Michigan's only ALPINE MOUNTAIN SLIDE, 1,700 feet of fun, Inside Michigan's OLDEST OPERATING INN built in 1835, This may be the MOST PICTURESQUE spot in Michigan, Inside the SMITHSONIAN OF MAGIC, located in Michigan, We explored WARREN DUNES, the Sleeping Bear of Southwest MI, GoPro video riding MICHIGAN'S LONGEST ZIPLINE, Exploring Michigan's abandoned, haunted ELOISE ASYLUM, Country's LARGEST AUTO MUSEUM is in the middle of nowhere, Michigan. He was 20 years older than me. - Bonnie, Oh! "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. From the top deck of the SS St. Claire, passengers watch the SS Columbia (built in 1902). 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. A powerhouse that supplied electricity to the nearby Carousel which is no longer there. 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. Captain Bob's Ice Cream & Coffee Cabin is located on the western shore of Boblo Island, and is open for residents and visitors from Thursday through Sunday. It's located in Amherstburg, Ontario. The people of Detroit, Michigan characterized it as that city's Coney Island. 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. It runs every 20 minutes, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year at a fee of $10 each way. The tiny island is located in the middle of the East River, parallel to Manhattan's East 46th to 85th Streets. Private cottages and government property remained at the north and south ends of the island. Twin villa homes on the north end of the island. - Sally. Boblo Island Amusement Park had its own custom version of bumper cars, known as Boblos Scootaboats. I was just in Amherstburg Sunday May 27,2013. Bois Blanc Island (Ontario) Who owns Boblo Island? the building is not secure, given that one-quarter of a large window in the front is broken in, metal strips hanging from its frame. We toured the Ste Claire in 2015 while restoration efforts were ongoing before fire gutted it on July 6, 2018. 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. Millions of Americans and Canadians share memories of riding the Swan Boats or the train that circled the park. For the people who bought property thereyou bought land that was so important to the neighboring cities and had brought so many families together. Not one thing mentioned on the dance hall being 100 years old this year. - 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 sociology of unemployment - Tom Boland 2015-07-01 The sociology of unemployment is an analysis of the experience and governance of unemployment. If you need help with the Public File, call (313) 222-0566. I was born and raised in Wyandotte, Michigan. For visitors based in Detroit, it was about 30 kilometers away and could be reached by ferry. The amusement was a given. Every home on the island is just steps away from the water. The Boblo Island Beach House Restaurant is located along the western shore of the island by the marina. McLeans Mansion (Holly Lea): The historic building that was saved by the local community from demolition, The ruins of Richmond Castle: one of the oldest Norman fortresses in England. 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.. The Boblo Island boat, S.S. Ste Claire, was destroyed on Friday morning after a massive fire on the ship. Ray was removed from the boat because she was not white, enforced according to a Bob-Lo company policy "excluding so-called 'zoot-suiters', the rowdyish, the rough, and the boisterous, and it also adopted the policy of excluding colored. 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. Livingstone writes that the white sand beach was created in 1957 when a vein of sand in the mouth of the river was dredged by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as they deepend the Amherstburg Channel to St. Lawrence Seaway standards, opening the Great Lakesto the world.. The island was situated between Detroit and Canada, but for a Michigander to visit, you had to cross the Canadian border.usually by one of the Boblo ferry boats. These homes are 1,250 square feet on the sides, 1,625 in the middle. The haunting pictures show graffiti, decrepit rides, and overgrown greenery. All rights reserved (About Us). 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. My husband is on the Grosse Ile Historical Society BoardI have pictures of Sugar Island in its heyday. Both doors are were chain locked. It is a wonderful place with beautiful heritage and history, that is why I chose to live here. I did notice, however, the last time we went the island had gone downhill quite a bit. Over four decades, later, on July 30, 2011, I spent an afternoon on Bob-Lo. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. It was great to see all the vintage photos and stories from the good old days of classic boating when wooden boats were the norm, not the exception. The park was sold but never got up and running again so all the rides and boats were sold. The Boblo Island amusement park closed in the 1990s after a century of operation. Visit Boblo.ca for information about living on the island. His legacy died when the company came in and took over the park. The Bois Blanc Lighthouse built in 1836; its lamp room was destroyed in 1954 when vandals started a fire. Anyone can go on the island via the ferry for a fee of $10 round-trip, but Boblo isn't a typical tourist destination. Sue Cicala. 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. The people of Detroit, Michigan, characterized it as the city's Coney Island. I had the pleasure of delivering a load of stuffed animals to the Park in the early 1990s, was a trip i will never forget, driving my Freightliner truck and a 48 foot trailer onto the wharf to make the trip across the river in the middle of the night over to the island then driving around the the park, having to stop and wait for the park benches to be moved for me to able to get truck and trailer around the turns stopping here and there to off load these stuffed toys into little electric carts for the arcade games before the park opened the next day, Friday of a May 24 weekend. 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. The Columbia is undergoing restoration. In the years leading up to its closure, many of the rides were sold to satisfy debts. A sign leads residents and visitors to dining venues and the marina on Boblo Island. 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. Given that the island was known as the Boblo Island Amusement Park from 1898 1993, Id say, overall, it was a pretty successful run. They operated a Rotor in West Germany at Oktoberfest in 1949. The SS Ste. I remember the log ride, where we''d all get wet but would soon dry out running about, the carousel, and of course the roller coaster. He's been with WDIV since 2013. 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. Would love to know more about your experience working on the Bob-Lo boats. One cant imagine a happy centennial celebration for this historic building . 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. The Beach House Goodie Shack offers apparel, gifts, and home decor for residents and visitors Thursday through Sunday. Kathi. BOBLO Island poster. The restaurants 2013 grand opening was May 24th. The Whip was installed in 1920, which was a huge hit, essentially paying for itself. I agree; it would be wonderful if the park could be restored or perhaps, reinvented to serve in a new way of bringing community together! [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. Its entrance is at Vernon Boulevard and Main Street in Astoria. Many of the other rides are still entertaining guests at parks in Texas, Maryland, British Columbia, and Mexico. Claire and the SS Columbia offered ferry services to all those wishing to travel to Boblo Island. Boblo Island Amusement Park is an abandoned amusement park which operated from 1898 until its closure on September 30, 1993. Instead, the island and steamships were purchased by the Browning family. Along with homes, there are also property lots for sale in which people can build homes on. Larry Benaroya, his associate, and his Northern Capital took control of the property; Mancini was fired, and the ownership group put it back on the market in January 1994. We need to preserve what we have left, just for historys sake. The ride takes about 5 or 10 minutes, instead of the hour it used to take . I would bring back the lost souls and add life to the island again. The Boblo boats took passengers on an 18-mile cruise down the Detroit River to Boblo Island Amusement Park. The juvenile coyote was gone in another blink of the eye. Once known as Bois Blanc Island, Boblo lies on the Detroit River on the Canadian side. Unfortunately, my search came up empty. Series: DOCUMERICA: The Environmental Protection Agency's Program to Photographically Document Subjects of Environmental Concern, 1972 - 1977, via National Archives and Records Administration, Photo: Courtesy of the Detroit Historical Society, A glass blower puts on a demonstration in the craftsmen's area - 1970s, A child takes a spin on a ride at Boblo Island - 1970s. The 24-year-old Black woman boarded the SS Columbia en route for Boblo Island a Canadian amusement park beloved by Detroiters. 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. It lies just above the mouth of the Detroit River and was commonly referred to as Detroit's Coney Island. The middle section of the island was developed as a park. The rides were sold to other amusement parks around the country. The goal of developers is to someday populate the entire island with neighborhoods. [1], The park was located on Bois Blanc Island, Ontario, just above the mouth of the Detroit River. Copyright 2023 ClickOnDetroit.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. In 1993, after nearly 100 years in the business of entertainment, it was decided that the park was to be closed. One of those blockhouses remains, and is open for touring. It was just announced in The Windsor Star that the dance pavilion is now for sale. 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. In its early years, [1] Henry Ford financed a dance hall that was rumored to have been designed and built by famed Detroit architect Albert Kahn,[31] but was later determined to have been designed by John Scott. [10], With no buyers materializing, Norton Auctioneers of Coldwater, Michigan, was retained to sell the property at auction on February 10, 1993. The case reached the U.S. Supreme Court and resulted in a notable 1948 decision construing the scope of the commerce clause. This amusement park, while once the delight of both kids and adults until the early 90s, has been abandoned for more than two decades. $19 million in debt, John's brother Randy forced Boblo Island into court-appointed receivership in 2004. Opened in Orlando in 1976, River Country was Walt Disney's first waterpark. "[2] The Michigan Supreme Court fined the company $25 for the discrimination they presented towards Ray. Once built, the dance hall was the second largest in the world, able to accommodate no less than 5,000 dancers. http://boblo.ca/. 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. With a blast of the big steam whistle, lines were cast off, and the 20-mile voyage began, taking about 80 minutes. The park was closed for the 1933-1934 seasons due to the Great Depression. Your email address will not be published. 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. That was in 1993. From Queens, you can get there via the Roosevelt Island Bridgethis is the only way to walk or drive onto the island. There are just two ways in and out of the island. It's docked in New York. The ship, docked at Riverside Marina on the Detroit River, caught fire after 11 a.m. on . Other islands Ivevisited have their own historical societies or have joined with other nearby islands to form a historical society: Johnson Island Preservation Society, Lake Erie Islands Historical Society, St. Clair Flats Historical Society, Beaver Island Historical Society, the Grosse Ile Historical Society, and Friends of Bell Isle (now a part ofthe newBelle Isle Conservancy). I was 7 years old when the ferries stopped running in 1991. As one can use motor vehicles only in the northern residential tip of the island, if you plan to explore the island, you may want to bring a bike with you. The dock is gone and the passageway is mostly surrounded by weeds and overgrown grass. - Mellissa M. Sources: BobloSteamers.com, Water Winter Wonderland. Potentially, it could become a wedding reception hall or hotel. 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 . 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). An estimated 30,000 people passed through the island on their way to freedom. [1] The "Bob-Lo boats" boats were sold in November 1991. One to pick up, and one to return people. Visitors could travel between rides and attractions using a mini railroad. The ferry is a short four minute ride to the island. Boblo Island Amusement Park is an abandoned amusement park which operated from 1898 until its closure on September 30, 1993. Gloomy days sometimes deserve black and white treatment. Today, 24 years after the park was closed and 118 years after its grand opening, little remains as a reminder of the islands history. While incapacitated in hospital, he lost legal control of island. On the south side of the road leading from the ferry dock is a five-story condominium: Between the river and the condominium is a trail which heads south along the islands perimeter and allows a walker orbicyclist to view a number of historical structures, including the Sailors Monument, which still graces the eastern shore of the island: The commemorative plaque affixed to the Sailors Monument reads: Dedicated to 134 years of American-Canadian friendship across 4500 miles of unfortified border, protected only by the mutual respect and understanding one nation holds for the other. It is completely grown over with weeds and trees. The children of this time will never get to enjoy what we did when we were children. Im glad you made this comment. The federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans owns the deteriorating dock, which once served as a gateway for ferry passengers heading to the former Boblo Island amusement park. The Bobl-Lo Island of today? This is private property and the doors are chain locked. [25], American investors were scared away after the September 11 attacks, which hurt the financial outlook for the development. Big changes for Sugar Island, good changes-it has made the drinking & partying boating groups unable to overtake the island.It was not safe. The initial attractions of the island were . The ferry runs every 20 minutes, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The ferry leaves every 20 minutes from a dock next to the "Bob-Lo Discovery Centre.". There were several trips from Detroit each day, but only two stops in Wyandotte. The price is around $500k. A lamp posts once used to illuminate the amusement park at night. About Boblo Island: Morale among the employees both on the Boats and the Island was at an all-time low according to some veteran workers. How I recall the fun times of going to Bob-Lo, with my sisters and brother. . I dont think it is sad at all! The park closed in 1996 after several personal injury lawsuits were filed against it. Bois Blanc has been part of Canada since 1787. A miniature railroad was built around the island in the 60s, along with a upgraded dock area. Newly restored in the Spring of 2013 by the residents of the community, they now offer Blockhouse tours on most Sundays from 1pm - 4pm. - Kathy G. We kids were able to run up and down the stairs on the boat and go to the dance floor. The 1991, the boats ceased their 81-year run, and the park closed in 1993. Wild grapevine has made it to the second floor balcony of the gallery. After the short ferry ride, residents simply drive right onto the island onto Boblo Island Blvd. What's with those GIANT PIE PANS in Traverse City & Charlevoix? When was the last time yousailed down the Detroit River toBob-Lo Island, to summertime? The first amusement park rides were moving by 1910. We live on the east shore of Grosse Ile, we would love to take our boat to eat at the restaurant. ", "Small fire breaks out on SS Ste. The swan paddle boat ride was added in 1970, which became a fan favorite. In 1991, those boats were sold and smaller ferries took people from Gibraltar, Mich., to the island, as well as Amherstburg. Claire was engulfed in an accidental fire while docked on the Detroit River on July 6, 2018. These steamers could carry more than 2,000 passengers from Detroit to the island. Flags at the Amherstburg Dock. Boblo Island became the headquarters for the Shawnee Chief Tecumseh during the War of 1812. Anyone . This thrilling park closed its doors for good in 1981, but not before providing visitors with decades of fun. These gleeful youngsters certainly seem amused on a ride at Eastwood, at the northeast corner of Eight Mile Road and . Many of you remember taking the journey to the top for a breathtaking view of the park. Sad that it no longer exists. The cars operated by drawing power from an overhead electric grid unlike the Bumper Boats in use today. During the Rebellion of 1837, "patriots" from the U.S. invaded the island in 1838. 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. The reasons for its closure were numerous, ranging from rising maintenance costs and poor management to stronger competition from the nearby, more attractive Cedar Point Park. It lies just above the mouth of the Detroit River. A street sign shows people where they are as they arrive on the island. The living space of the Deerview twin villas. If youre interested, check out Patrick Livingstons book Summer Dreams: The Story of Bob-Lo Island, published by Wayne State University Press in 2008. This photo shows people boarding the SS St. Claire (built in 1910) bound for Boblo Island. 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. Railroad was built around the country more about your experience working on the Bob-Lo boats not making... Court and resulted in a notable 1948 decision construing the scope of the old dance hall 100! 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