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. By 1742, a French mission among the Hurons was established. Boblo Boats: A Detroit Fairy Tale Boblo Island closed for essentially the same reasons as many other urban amusement parks closed. (LogOut/ See All Homes for Sale in Amherstburg. Bois Blanc has been part of Canada since 1787. All rights reserved (About Us). Neither will my grandchildren. One such an example is Boblo Island Amusement Park initially opened on Bois Blanc Island in Ontario in 1898. When was the last time yousailed down the Detroit River toBob-Lo Island, to summertime? It was a terrible idea to put a roller coaster in there. Families need to be brought back together and enjoy their children once again. I learned this and most of what I know about the history of Bob-Lo Island from 1670 2006 in the book Summer Dreams: The Story of Bob-Lo Island by Patrick Livingston (published in 2008 by the Wayne State University Press in Detroit as a part of their Great Lakes Books series): How does Bob-Lo Island appear today, Saturday, July 30, 2011? You can find the Boblo Island Beach House restaurant on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BobloIslandMarina Also the Boblo Island Marina: https://www.facebook.com/BobloIslandMarina You may be able to get the information you need by writing to: BOBLOMARINA@BOBLO.CA You may want to mention youre coming from the States; I dont know the protocol for private boats crossing the international border in the river to dock. Twin villa homes on the north end of the island. Answer (1 of 2): I have barely recallable memories of POP. Locate and compare 4423631-Canada-Inc in Colchester Country ON, Yellow Pages Local Listings. Thank you again for the information. Both vessels are bound for Boblo Island. Many of you remember taking the journey to the top for a breathtaking view of the park. . - Mellissa M. Sources: BobloSteamers.com, Water Winter Wonderland. [1] Other smaller ferries served the park from Amherstburg and Gibraltar, Michigan, which were located closer to the park on the Detroit River. [28] However, a local housing slump meant little was developed. Boblo Island Amusement Park ran from 1898 to 1993. 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 youre interested, check out Patrick Livingstons book Summer Dreams: The Story of Bob-Lo Island, published by Wayne State University Press in 2008. Such a sad and difficult ending to such a WONDERFUL PLACE. BOBLO ISLAND AMUSEMENT PARK entertained people from both Canada and USA for 96 YEARS ! [1], The park was located on Bois Blanc Island, Ontario, just above the mouth of the Detroit River. [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. [18], In 1994, John Oram, an Iraqi immigrant to the United States who owned car stereo businesses, purchased the Boblo Island site. He enjoys suffering through Lions games on Sundays in the fall. 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.. It lies just above the mouth of the Detroit River. By their very nature, amusement parks are places of fun, relaxation, excitement, and recreation. The kitchen and dining space of the tri-plex. This amusement park, while once the delight of both kids and adults until the early 90s, has been abandoned for more than two decades. It was awesome place. The island is a five-minute ferry ride from Amherstburg, Ontario, and 18 miles from Detroit. For visitors based in Detroit, it was about 30 kilometers away and could be reached by ferry. 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. After the boats docked at night back in Detroit, Mr. Short continued entertaining at the local bars and taverns he frequented.[33]. There were several trips from Detroit each day, but only two stops in Wyandotte. Each historical society serves as a bead on a rosary linking current and future generations to the past, acts as a tool to support prayers of keeping the memories alive, keeps a link to the human roots of a distinctive place that has meant many things to many people over the years. why did boblo island close. 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). (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. The legend of Boblo is still strong in Detroit. Boblo Island Amusement Park had its own custom version of bumper cars, known as Boblos Scootaboats. 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. Once a landmark amusement park, Boblo Island is ready to essentially triple its current population through a new. 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. Its a wonderful feeling strolling the island, standing next to buildings where 10s of thousands of souls now long departed use to frequent. The people of Detroit, Michigan, characterized it as the city's Coney Island. He was 20 years older than me. Boblo closed for good in September 1993. Thank you again!! You can just picture all of the kids having fun smashing into each other in their cars. On that visit, the very air between the Wild Mouse and the Whip was fraught with hormones dancing to a Top Ten soundtrack which included Sitting on the Dock of the Bay and Grazing in the Grass.. An incident in 1902 caused a man-made mini earthquake on the island. One reason is competition from larger theme parks. More waterfront dining. While incapacitated in hospital, he lost legal control of island. Here are some of the homes and what life is like on Boblo Island today. When you disembark from the ferry, youfindyourself adjacent to a private very well-to-do residential area. Big changes for Sugar Island, good changes-it has made the drinking & partying boating groups unable to overtake the island.It was not safe. Boblo Island is an Island in the Detroit River located directly west of Amherstburg, Ontario, on the Canadian side of the border. We dont save anything for history any more. Boblo Island, originally names Bois Blanc (White Woods in French) opened as a Park in 1898. Technically speaking, the island was a part of Canada (Bois Blanc Island, Ontario to be exact) but was just a short ferry ride up the Detroit River from the city of Detroit. It's located in Amherstburg, Ontario. - Kathy G. We kids were able to run up and down the stairs on the boat and go to the dance floor. In 1898, the Detroit, Windsor and Belle Isle Ferry Company opened up a recreation park on the Detroit River, about 18 miles southwest of Windsor. why did boblo island close. [2], The State of Michigan brought a racial discrimination case against the operators of the ferry service. Abandoned Boblo Island Amusement Park is a former amusement park which ran from 1898 until its closure on September 30, 1993. 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. Wild grapevine has made it to the second floor balcony of the gallery. The railroad began operating on the island in 1956. The swan paddle boat ride was added in 1970, which became a fan favorite. The Browning Family sold the island in 1979, which led to several owners in the following years, including IBC and AAA of Michigan. It's docked in New York. Although Boblo Island Beach House is pretty good. The Boblo Island Beach House Restaurant is located along the western shore of the island by the marina. In 1949, the island was threatened by bankruptcy. 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 disappeared for the same reasons like Marineland of the Pacific, and the park in Long Beach. The remnants of Boblo Island Amusement Park: Unclaimed. Before July 30, 2011, my last visit to Bob-Lo had been in June of 1968. Without Michael's approval the park was closed, the rides sold off, dismantled and shipped away. Boblo Island Amusement Park is an abandoned amusement park which operated from 1898 until its closure on September 30, 1993. Its a shame that Boblo Island had to close. A lamp posts once used to illuminate the amusement park at night. The Boblo boats took passengers on an 18-mile cruise down the Detroit river to Boblo Island Amusement Park. Clair and the SS Columbia. How I recall the fun times of going to Bob-Lo, with my sisters and brother. Ken Haddad is the digital content and audience manager for WDIV / ClickOnDetroit.com. Second case of COVID-19 confirmed in Windsor-Essex City of Windsor declares state of emergency, Devonshire and Tecumseh malls to close Boblo Island residential development plan moving forward. We were participating in a totally sanctioned, transportation-provided-by-the-school-district Ninth-Grade Skip Day. We would have boarded either the Ste. This is a small area of the white sand beach open to residents of Boblo Island. I found this very useful for Information! Change). The ship, docked at Riverside Marina on the Detroit River, caught fire after 11 a.m. on. The Boblo Island Detroit dock building can be seen on the Detroit, Michigan side of the Detroit River. From the U.S. (departing from Detroit) your routeto the ferry would looklike this: The ferry boat captain had to take the Detroit Rivers strong current into consideration in maneuvering the ferry boat to the dock. I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Only one blockhouse remains today. 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 retreat for the wealthy, amidst dilapidated remnants of history and ghosts of the past, with nature ever encroaching. The rides were sold in 1994, but as we discovered via YouTube, a number of the park's structures still stand on the island. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. A street sign shows people where they are as they arrive on the island. Huntington. These steamers are the oldest passenger steamers in the United States of America, currently anchored at the Great Lakes Steel Dock in Ecorse, Michigan. The little that remains of the park is covered with vegetation or has been demolished. It closed for good in 1993, 25 years ago. You will find even more information in: Summer Dreams: The Story of Bob-Lo Island, by Patrick Livingstone (Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 2008); Bob-Lo: An Island in Troubled Waters, by Annessa Carlisle (Royal Oak, MI: Momentum Books, 2005); and for more photographs, Bob-Lo Revisited, by Bill Rauhausuer (Chicago: Lorentz, 2003). The place just went completely downhill. Bob-Lo was such a fun place and figures so prominently in many peoples childhood summertime memories! The Ste. 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.
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