Everyone has a memory to tell. Its amusement rides were sold in 1994. | 5401 Woodward, Detroit, MI 48202. For visitors based in Detroit, it was about 30 kilometers away and could be reached by ferry. The legend of Boblo is still strong in Detroit. Instead, the island and steamships were purchased by the Browning family. The dock is gone and the passageway is mostly surrounded by weeds and overgrown grass. http://bit.ly/2cIo6Ny. [32], Boblo's Scootaboats, which were very similar to well known Bumper Cars, were a popular ride.
4423631-Canada-Inc in Colchester Country ON | YellowPages.ca 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. A retreat for the wealthy, amidst dilapidated remnants of history and ghosts of the past, with nature ever encroaching. Its amusement rides were sold in 1994. It was one of the most popular places to dance in the 1920s.
Ken Cooney - Off-Ice Official / Substitute - Alternate - GOJHL Jr B 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. [26] KPMG found there was no money left to continue supplying basic services. It's docked in New York. - Marva, I am 63 years old and I remember Bob-lo so well. All Rights Reserved. [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. It is a story told in a new movie that premiered last week in Detroit called "Boblo Boats: A Detroit Ferry Tale". In the beginning it was a picnic spot with beaches, athletic fields, bicycle tracks, and a stunning Mangels-Illions carousel. You can also visit Boblo.ca. Very little remains, physically, of the amusement park attractions, but what we did find is fascinating, as you'll see in the link below. See all (4) 90-year old Captain Bob-Lo greets passengers - 1970s. 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.
Boblo island Properties - Mitula Homes Visit Boblo.ca for information about living on the island. This is what the more than 100-year old steamer looked like a few years ago. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC.
For those who lived it firsthand, though, Boblo Island was an accessible and affordable paradise right in Detroit's backyard. For more than a century, Bob-Lo Island had belonged to Ontario Province. Boblo Boats Documentary Hitting Select Theatres in Detroit This Fall [VIDEO], Metallicas 72 Seasons Global Premiere Where You Can Watch in Michigan, Detroit Chef Named Chopped Champ Donates $10K Prize, Tri-County Ninja & Collectibles in Fenton Approved for Liquor License, Compete in Cedar Point Trivia from the Comfort of Your Michigan Home, Michigan Has Enforced the Death Penalty a Remarkably Low Number of Times, Celebrate 21 Years Of The Machine Shop In March, 13 Suggestions to Fill Flints Empty Sears in Genesee Valley Mall. The place is oozing history. I am so sad every time I think about Bob Lo.
The Last Day Of "Oldies Week" - We Dedicate Today's Story To Russell A (Emily Rose Bennett | MLive.com). A combined force of British and Native American soldiers in canoes surprised and overpowered an American vessel en route to Detroit. Claire, which used to take passengers to Boblo Island, sits on the Detroit River in August 2015. When did Boblo boat stop running? The beautiful wood flooring should never have been ripped out. [10], With no buyers materializing, Norton Auctioneers of Coldwater, Michigan, was retained to sell the property at auction on February 10, 1993. (Check out more Boblo history at BobloSteamers.com), Alex Atwell put together an awesome tour of the Ste. People from all over Michigan, Canada and from as far away as California, have chosen to make Boblo Island their home. Interestingly, the islands history starts long before the amusement park was even planned. With a blast of the big steam whistle, lines were cast off, and the 20-mile voyage began, taking about 80 minutes. (LogOut/ By their very nature, amusement parks are places of fun, relaxation, excitement, and recreation. Cedar Point, which has world-famous roller coasters and a wider range of attractions, is close enough to the Detroit area for a day trip (for the very hardy). In June 1945, Sarah Elizabeth Ray and 12 other female workers involved in the war effort (and referred to as "girls" during the legal proceedings) took part in a sponsored trip to Boblo Island. They created a destination to keep themselves busy on the weekend. 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).
Boblo Island closed 25 years ago: Here's what it looks like now The last day of "Oldies Week" is today (at least for now), and the response from the Woody Boater community was fantastic. The ship in mid-swing. Ive always wondered about the island and have wanted to go back. [17], In March 1994, the rides were dismantled and sold off piecemeal to the Pacific National Exhibition and a series of U.S. theme parks, a moment that confirmed the "worst fears" of Malden Township officials; the amusement park paid 25 percent of its taxes.
How I recall the fun times of going to Bob-Lo, with my sisters and brother. Boblo Island Amusement Park had its own custom version of bumper cars, known as Boblos Scootaboats. In 1991, those boats were sold and smaller ferries took people from Gibraltar, Mich., to the island, as well as Amherstburg. The Boblo Island Detroit dock building can be seen on the Detroit, Michigan side of the Detroit River. Peaking through the windows, you can see it's being used for storage. A woman leans against the fence in the foreground to take a picture of the ride. Locate and compare Service d'ambulance in Mersea ON, Yellow Pages Local Listings. It disappeared for the same reasons like Marineland of the Pacific, and the park in Long Beach. Competition came in, e.g., Sea World. Boblo's trains made a 20-minute circuit around about 2 miles of track . You can just picture all of the kids having fun smashing into each other in their cars. In 1949, the island was threatened by bankruptcy. (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. This thrilling park closed its doors for good in 1981, but not before providing visitors with decades of fun. Bois Blanc has been part of Canada since 1787. The 1878 Mangels-Illions Carousels 44 horses, two goats, and two deer were sold for more than $1 million. A private community is now being built on the island. Millions of Americans and Canadians share memories of riding the Swan Boats or the train that circled the park. From the top deck of the SS St. Claire, passengers watch the SS Columbia (built in 1902). And then came the Boblo Island Amusement Park with its famous Screamer, Nightmare, and Wild Mouse rides, its zoo, and carousel. Boblo was originally named Bois Blanc by the French, but residents couldn't pronounce the name. Along with homes, there are also property lots for sale in which people can build homes on. I was born and raised in Wyandotte, Michigan. It runs every 20 minutes, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year at a fee of $10 each way. Claire and the SS Columbia? 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). When was the last time yousailed down the Detroit River toBob-Lo Island, to summertime? The Detroit river is very short - it merely connects Lake Huron with Lake Erie. Boblo Boats: A Detroit Fairy Tale Claire and the SS Columbia offered ferry services to all those wishing to travel to Boblo Island. We also traveled from past to the present on the island, which was a must-visit destination for families for decades. In my days they were very comparable although I think Cedar Point was a little larger. 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. DETROIT Say the name "Boblo" to anyone who grew up around Michigan, and their eyes will light up. Gone are the roller coasters, but there are plenty of. 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. 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. Over the years it grew into a unique island amusement park, with a midway and dozens of rides. Several Detroit organizations held annual picnics on the island. Most people just drive their vehicles onto the ferry from Amherstburg and are home in a few minutes. Colorful adirondack chairs surround a campfire pit near Captain Bob's. 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. Scattered over the restof the island, there are still a number of structures left from other erasmidst overgrown grass, downed limbs from trees, and more than a few other surprises: At the south end of the island, two pieces of history, although damaged, still stand: In the portion of the island that was once the amusement parkBob-Lo as the babyboomers knew ita number of structures still stand: Unfortunately, despite a private-property-no-trespassing sign .