If all this talk of Edgewater Park has sent you into a nostalgic funk, never fear: the video below, posted The park has been closed since 1993, but the legend of Boblo is still strong. - 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. With probably more than a bit of clean-up and reconstruction, it would make a wonderful venue for a wedding reception!!! 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 . Twin villa homes on the north end of the island. I can forward them to you if you would like. One of these survived to become a souvenir stand for the amusement park. 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. For 19 years, the site has been abandoned, with many rides left to battle corrosion and plant life. One such an example is Boblo Island Amusement Park initially opened on Bois Blanc Island in Ontario in 1898. All rights reserved (About Us). Would love to know more about your experience working on the Bob-Lo boats. The 1878 Mangels-Illions Carousels 44 horses, two goats, and two deer were sold for more than $1 million. These are the remains of some of the washrooms. These luxury dwellings were erected. Its a wonderful feeling strolling the island, standing next to buildings where 10s of thousands of souls now long departed use to frequent. 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. During the Rebellion of 1837, "patriots" from the U.S. invaded the island in 1838. British troops captured 60 people and built three log blockhouses to defend the island. [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. The subdivision consists of a loop of a street containing a court within the loop. 525 55 shares Like Most relevant Ryan Hance How long ago did this place close and why did it close down? After 85 years of operation, these two sister steamships - the oldest in America - awaken from a deep slumber to find a devoted team of enthusiasts have set out to rescue them from their deteriorating state. [5] The boats were sold off as a result of a decision to shutter operations at the Detroit dock. 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. It was like a little cruise. By The people of Detroit, Michigan, characterized it as the city's Coney Island. These homes are 1,250 square feet on the sides, 1,625 in the middle. The Ste. 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. 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. . [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. - Marva, I am 63 years old and I remember Bob-lo so well. Its very sad because growing up that was all everyone talked about was Boblo Island, and all the amazing memories. The island is a five-minute ferry ride from Amherstburg, Ontario, and 18 miles from Detroit. You know what I think, I have never been over there. Touch device users . My husband is on the Grosse Ile Historical Society BoardI have pictures of Sugar Island in its heyday. The Bobl-Lo Island of today? Explore. To move visitors around the island, the park had a small railroad. Only a few buildings and the sky tower structure still stand. 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). Two twin villa homes on the north end of the island. This is the remnants of an old putt-putt golf course. But there is new life on the island 23 years after the closing of the amusement park. I found this very useful for Information! Boblo Island Amusement Park is an abandoned amusement park which operated from 1898 until its closure on September 30, 1993. A company called Premier Parks acquired the classic amusement park in 1995. I would bring back the lost souls and add life to the island again. 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. Ferry passengers could be going to the island to patronize the restaurant. Remember, the island is in Canada, so you can't just cross over from the U.S. and dock there. Many locals still have great memories riding the ferry to Boblo Island Amusement Park, which eventually. This is what the more than 100-year old steamer looked like a few years ago. More than a century later, in the 1920s, the amusement park opened on the sitethen closed in 1966 after the accidental deaths of two young patrons, including one on the spooky circular swing. 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! After coming aboard, visitors could look down from the main deck into the engine room, where powerful shafts and cams slowly warmed up. Part of the experience was the long boat ride to the island. I believe the unfortunate combination of being a Canadian island with almost all American history is the reason its not being cherished by people in Canada. You may have more than a few challenges now that people live there, but I wish you the best of luck! The Beach House Goodie Shack offers apparel, gifts, and home decor for residents and visitors Thursday through Sunday. The British also built a lighthouse in 1836 which operated until 1959. Claire or the Columbia, but no cellphone cameras documented that embarkation and carrying a Kodak Instamatic simply would not have been cool. Boblo Island was an amusement park that was open for nearly 100 years. "[2] The Michigan Supreme Court fined the company $25 for the discrimination they presented towards Ray. My favorite ride was the Log Ride, I thought it was the greatest thing of all time. Everyone has a memory to tell. I agree, Jennifer, very sad. The Boblo Island Beach House Restaurant is located along the western shore of the island by the marina. Since 1989, Kevin has collected miniature amusement park rides, and built a loose replica of Boblo Island in his home. It lies just above the mouth of the Detroit River and was commonly referred to as Detroit's Coney Island. The company was busy during the week, moving people and goods up and down the river. - Kathy G. We kids were able to run up and down the stairs on the boat and go to the dance floor. Claire, which used to take passengers to Boblo Island, sits on the Detroit River in August 2015. 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. Valentine and Sons United Publishing Company - This image is part of the Canadian Copyright Collection held by the British Library, and has been digitized as part of the "Picturing Canada" project. I recently visited the island to see that the old Theatre still stands. The swan paddle boat ride was added in 1970, which became a fan favorite. To tell you the truth I remember the boat rides to the park more than the park itself. Claire was engulfed in an accidental fire while docked on the Detroit River on July 6, 2018. The earliest historical reference, from 1718, describes 70 Native American families peacefully farming the fertile land. Boblo Island looks much different today, and if developers reach their goals, it will be almost unrecognizable to past thrill-seekers. BOBLO ISLAND - The echoes from the screams of delight have long faded from Boblo Island Amusement Park, the Cedar Point of Michigan for most kids growing up in our region. 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. This year, I hear theres an ice cream concession, Captain Bobs on the island (http://www.rivertowntimes.com/?s=Captain+bobs&submit). DETROIT Say the name "Boblo" to anyone who grew up around Michigan, and their eyes will light up. Photo courtesy of the Detroit Historical Society. "It's not the exact layout of Boblo Island," Kevin says in the documentary. The classic boats stopped running in 1991 and the amusement park was shuttered after the 1993 season. A parking stub from Boblo Island, 1988 272 acres. Gone are the roller coasters, but there are plenty of. The island was home to a popular amusement park starting in the late 1890s. This is a small area of the white sand beach open to residents of Boblo Island. 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. In 1991, those boats were sold and smaller ferries took people from Gibraltar, Mich., to the island, as well as Amherstburg. All the passengers who had purchased round-trip tickets were comfortably aboardall, that is, but one. The abandoned amusement park was a p. Hard to believe it was an big destination, it seems too small to support an amusement park. The SS Ste. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. We dont save anything for history any more. Some recent activity indicates this one might be saved. Private cottages and government property remained at the north and south ends of the island. In 1949, bankruptcy threatened the island park. "For people who don't know, Boblo was an island amusement park that . It's a place for those looking to surround themselves with nature, including the more than 50 different species of birds. Over the years it grew into a unique island amusement park, with a midway and dozens of rides. Photojournalist Seph Lawless has taken pictures of 10 abandoned theme parks around the US. [15] Moodenbaugh had hired Liberal MPP Remo Mancini to help market the park. 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. The beautiful wood flooring should never have been ripped out. We are restoring one of Detroit's most iconic steamships, the Ste. Bois Blanc Island (sometimes referred to as Boblo Island despite complaints from people downstate who are familiar with the Boblo Island Amusement Park in Bois Blanc, Canada, in the Detroit River) is an island in Lake Huron in the southernmost part of Mackinac County. A private community is now being built on the island. DETROIT (FOX 2) - Narrated by Motown legend Martha Reeves, the movie "Boblo Boats: A Detroit Ferry Tale" is finally in theatres. Ive been talking to friends who also loved Boblo and I am going to do further study. The park was located on Bois Blanc Island, Ontario. Though not all is lost. The Human Spinning Rotor or simply "The Rotor" was invented by a German scientist, Ernst Hoffmeister, and was financially supported by businessman Carl Friese. Families need to be brought back together and enjoy their children once again. People quit coming in the 1980s, then the money for upkeep is not there. In 1973, the Thunder Bolt coaster was built, which drew long lines. The island is owned nearly in its entirety by Windsor developer Dominic Amicone through his Bob-Lo Island development company. A tri-plex home. What did you do? 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. There are no hotels. The ferry leaves every 20 minutes from a dock next to the "Bob-Lo Discovery Centre.". Boblo Island Amusement Park ran from 1898 to 1993. They created a destination to keep themselves busy on the weekend. Such a sad and difficult ending to such a WONDERFUL PLACE. These steamers could carry more than 2,000 passengers from Detroit to the island. 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. For the people who bought property thereyou bought land that was so important to the neighboring cities and had brought so many families together. Many of the other rides are still entertaining guests at parks in Texas, Maryland, British Columbia, and Mexico. Officially, Bob-Lo Island is now billed as a Marina Resort Community, but Bob-Lo currently exhibits the most profound split personality of any islandperhaps any placeIve ever been. People can dock their private boats there, or take a four-minute ferry ride from Amherstburg, Ontario. http://bit.ly/2cIo6Ny. I am so sad every time I think about Bob Lo. I agree. Your email address will not be published. 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. 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. During the 1920s and 1930s, swimming contests were held that went fromBelle Isleto Bob-Lo, covering 24 miles. Loved going to Bob-Lo as a kid. Its a shame that Boblo Island had to close. Once built, the dance hall was the second largest in the world, able to accommodate no less than 5,000 dancers. 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. Thank you again!! How I recall the fun times of going to Bob-Lo, with my sisters and brother. I did notice, however, the last time we went the island had gone downhill quite a bit. This is the view now from the end of the tunnel. I just kayaked to Boblo Island today, and I saw so much potential left in this land. 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. Only one blockhouse remains today. Anyone remember how much fun the dance floor was and how beautiful the boats were. It is so cool to see the old dock piers and the beach is sand. Starting in the mid-1990s, however, it began a tumultuous phase that ultimately ended in its demise. 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.. [4], IBC declared bankruptcy in 1991. 'S Coney island have great memories riding the ferry to Boblo island amusement park that iconic steamships the! 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