One of the more high-end homes on the north end of Boblo Island, Ontario. 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. 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). The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Plenty of old carney magic still haunts this photogenic amusement park. A tennis court sits next to a home on the island. You can still see the words "Boblo Island" on the Space Needle, 25 years after the park's closing. You know what I think, I have never been over there. Did you work on both the SS Ste. Electric Park was the dream-come-true of Arthur C. Gaukler, a. 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. 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. The last screams of joy could be heard from the little island of fun 25 years ago as the Cedar Point of Michigan closed for the final time. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. "It's not the exact layout of Boblo Island," Kevin says in the documentary. "That's probably because I have about twice as many rides as Boblo Island." The place is oozing history. The island is owned nearly in its entirety by Windsor developer Dominic Amicone through his Bob-Lo Island development company. We went alot and when my family''s jobs had company picnic it would always be Bob Lo. Remember, the island is in Canada, so you can't just cross over from the U.S. and dock there. Over four decades, later, on July 30, 2011, I spent an afternoon on Bob-Lo. This historic boat carried passengers to and from Boblo Island, and amusement park located on the Detroit River. The case reached the U.S. Supreme Court and resulted in a notable 1948 decision construing the scope of the commerce clause. The park was closed for the 1933-1934 seasons due to the Great Depression. The island is a five-minute ferry ride from Amherstburg, Ontario, and 18 miles from Detroit. Boblo was originally named Bois Blanc by the French, but residents couldn't pronounce the name. Both vessels are bound for Boblo Island. Embark on a CRUISE FROM DETROIT for the first time in decades, Stay the night at this ghostly-looking MICHIGAN CASTLE, SECRET VINTAGE COKE MUSEUM inside a Michigan 50's diner. 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. These are the remains of some of the washrooms. Bob-Lo Park (Sometimes seen as Boblo) was established as an entertainment destination in 1898 by the Detroit,Belle Isleand Windsor Ferry Company. Yongma Land Abandoned Theme Park. I worked on the Boats in 1980. 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. The park sat just above the mouth of the Detroit River, but was actually on the Canadian side on Bois Blanc Island, Ontario. We dont save anything for history any more. Claire or the Columbia, but no cellphone cameras documented that embarkation and carrying a Kodak Instamatic simply would not have been cool. The classic boats stopped running in 1991 and the amusement park was shuttered after the 1993 season. [19] He vaguely proposed a casino, hotel, and other development. The earliest historical reference, from 1718, describes 70 Native American families peacefully farming the fertile land. This is private property and the doors are chain locked. What a wonderful goal, Andrew! How to get to toronto island park? Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. One such an example is Boblo Island Amusement Park initially opened on Bois Blanc Island in Ontario in 1898. The abandoned amusement park was a p. The 1878 Mangels-Illions Carousels 44 horses, two goats, and two deer were sold for more than $1 million. - Marva, I am 63 years old and I remember Bob-lo so well. Sad that it no longer exists. 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 . Anyone can go on the island via the ferry for a fee of $10 round-trip, but Boblo isn't a typical tourist destination. With all the history on that island, I dont get it why it was left to die. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/17/historic-boblo-island-blo_n_1098807.html, http://www.flickr.com/photos/33535417@N05/4112593095/, http://www.boblo.ca/pages/living/restaurant.html, https://www.facebook.com/BobloIslandMarina, http://www.rivertowntimes.com/?s=Captain+bobs&submit, http://www.freep.com/article/20140706/NEWS05/307060053/boblo-island-memories-boat-development, http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2013/05/23/grosse-iles-sugar-island-beach-opens-to-public-saturday/, Boblo Island Beach House Restaurant Houzz Home, Slaves (traveling the Underground Railroad), The south blockhouse, built in 1838 (Update: See. 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. ", "Small fire breaks out on SS Ste. 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.. However, due to lack of demand, the park closed in 2001 and never reopened. Potentially, it could become a wedding reception hall or hotel. 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.. Four million tourists flock to Liberty Island in New York each year to see the architectural marvel, The Statue of Liberty. The boat would stop there to take people to the island for the day. 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. Is it an easy walk to the restaurant on the west side from the ferry dock? To add . The rides were sold to other amusement parks around the country. In 1991, those boats were sold and smaller ferries took people from Gibraltar, Mich., to the island, as well as Amherstburg. (Check out more Boblo history at BobloSteamers.com), Alex Atwell put together an awesome tour of the Ste. We toured the Ste Claire in 2015 while restoration efforts were ongoing before fire gutted it on July 6, 2018. Page 51", "Historic Boblo boats land role in Transformers 4", "Boblo Island boat owners hopeful for restoring of damaged boat: What's next for the SS Ste Claire? Once a landmark amusement park, Boblo Island is ready to essentially triple its current population through a new. They operated a Rotor in West Germany at Oktoberfest in 1949. 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. [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. The island is mainly a place where people can live in serenity. I would make sure my friends knew all the history of Bob-Lo. [28] However, a local housing slump meant little was developed. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Enter your email address to follow this site. [5] The boats were sold off as a result of a decision to shutter operations at the Detroit dock. Given that the island was known as the Boblo Island Amusement Park from 1898 1993, Id say, overall, it was a pretty successful run. Boblo Island today: In June of 1999 Oram announced that he wished to recreate the amusement park on the mainland near Amherstburg, Ontario. 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 runs Nov. 22 to Dec. 2 at the Great Hall Black Box Theatre (former venue of the Theatre Centre), 1087 Queen St. W. For tickets ($20-$25), visit theatrecentre.org or call 416-538-0988. A retreat for the wealthy, amidst dilapidated remnants of history and ghosts of the past, with nature ever encroaching. All the passengers who had purchased round-trip tickets were comfortably aboardall, that is, but one. - Kathy G. We kids were able to run up and down the stairs on the boat and go to the dance floor. The Whip was installed in 1920, which was a huge hit, essentially paying for itself. By 1920 the famous amusement ride, the Whip was installed on the island and the first season alone paid for the maintenance and the purchase of the ride. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Quite disappointing that we never went back, management was doing a terrible job. It is so cool to see the old dock piers and the beach is sand. Visitors could travel between rides and attractions using a mini railroad. Pinterest. Most of the homes on the island also come with a large amount of property. And I stood and looked across the river, and what I remember is no longer there, and Im 54 years old . In the years leading up to its closure, many of the rides were sold to satisfy debts. You can also see the large stage and the curtain with big holes in it. 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. The island was also an important stop on the Underground Railroad to Canada, which worked to help escaped slaves leave the country. By their very nature, amusement parks are places of fun, relaxation, excitement, and recreation. After 1796, British interests controlled the island and it was the staging point for the first local action in the War of 1812. The park closed in 1996 after several personal injury lawsuits were filed against it. 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 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. Neither will my grandchildren. Morale among the employees both on the Boats and the Island was at an all-time low according to some veteran workers. My most vivid memory is the Sky Diver ride. Every home on the island is just steps away from the water. Its amusement rides were sold in 1994. When you disembark from the ferry, youfindyourself adjacent to a private very well-to-do residential area. The plan is to restructure the whole island and populate it with luxurious houses. Once the island closed, the boats sat abandoned for years. Yes, I list http://www.boblo.ca as a source where one can get more information in my book Great Lakes Island Escapes: Ferries and Bridges to Adventure (Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 2016). What remains of the boat after the fire is currently docked at Riverside Marina in Detroit. If all this talk of Edgewater Park has sent you into a nostalgic funk, never fear: the video below, posted 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. One of the oldest structures on the island was vandalized in 1954, with vandals setting fire to the top of the 1837 lighthouse, destroying the upper structure. The park was closed for the 1933-1934 seasons due to the Great Depression. How to get to Boblo Island: It is sad, Cheryl. Millions of Americans and Canadians share memories of riding the Swan Boats or the train that circled the park. [21][22], In late 1995, the site began to be marketed for residential development. But there is new life on the island 23 years after the closing of the amusement park. I can only imagine the dangers of the dilapidated buildings, to say nothing of concerns about strangers. In the distance is a building featuring dozens of condos. 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. My husband is on the Grosse Ile Historical Society BoardI have pictures of Sugar Island in its heyday. He also authors the Morning Report Newsletter and various other newsletters. Each held about 2,500 passengers. 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. It was in a time when the parents didn''t have to worry about the children. . You can also visit Boblo.ca. [6] In February 1992, the park was put up for sale for US$9 million, half of its 1988 purchase price, though it committed to opening it for that summer. Copyright 2023 ClickOnDetroit.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. The far end of the island is now all luxury homes. If youre interested, check out Patrick Livingstons book Summer Dreams: The Story of Bob-Lo Island, published by Wayne State University Press in 2008. The island has quite an interesting history. The 1991, the boats ceased their 81-year run, and the park closed in 1993. The Bobl-Lo Island of today? Abandoned Boblo Island Amusement Park is a former amusement park which ran from 1898 until its closure on September 30, 1993. [23] Townhouses and condominiums were proposed in 1997. The 24-year-old Black woman boarded the SS Columbia en route for Boblo Island a Canadian amusement park beloved by Detroiters. "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.". A private community is now being built on the island. 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. 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. 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. The ferry leaves every 20 minutes from a dock next to the "Bob-Lo Discovery Centre.". For full functionality of this site it is necessary to enable JavaScript. 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. It was a terrible idea to put a roller coaster in there. Look at Sugar Island.it once was a special place. To get to Bob-Lo Islandin the 21st century, you takea ferry from Amherstburg, Ontario, instead of from the old dock on Jefferson Avenuein Detroit. The audio journey to Mars is etched in my brain! A street sign shows people where they are as they arrive on the island. People should not be making assumptions about the island residents. There were several trips from Detroit each day, but only two stops in Wyandotte. It was like a little cruise. All rights reserved (About Us). DETROIT (FOX 2) - Narrated by Motown legend Martha Reeves, the movie "Boblo Boats: A Detroit Ferry Tale" is finally in theatres. The boat was taken to Toledo on Tuesday. . 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). Built all the way back in 1898, the Boblo Island Amusement Park was a shining beacon of wholesome fun. 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. Colorful picnic tables near Captain Bob's Ice Cream & Coffee Cabin. By Edward Pevos of MLive - epevos@MLive.com. The passageway still exists showing Gilbraltar, Michigan to the left and Amherstburg, Ontario to the right. I, too, went there every year as a child from Detroit. Boblo Island Amusement Park is an abandoned amusement park which operated from 1898 until its closure on September 30, 1993. 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. 2y Shelly Premer Neault Still closed. Theme parks, like Lake Shawnee Park in West Virginia, closed down after guests died at the park. 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. 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. Both doors are were chain locked. In 1949, the island was threatened by bankruptcy. Opened in Orlando in 1976, River Country was Walt Disney's first waterpark. 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