People from all over Michigan, Canada and from as far away as California, have chosen to make Boblo Island their home. And a Fairyland park on the ocean in OR, etc. A street sign shows people where they are as they arrive on the island. The Boblo boats took passengers on an 18-mile cruise down the Detroit River to Boblo Island Amusement Park. We also traveled from past to the present on the island, which was a must-visit destination for families for decades. Edit: I hope it's just a tracker issue but it seemed to be working fine. Over the years, the park began to decline and wane in popularity. 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. The marina on the west side of Boblo Island. It is now an expensive, gated housing community with a private clubhouse. 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. This is the living space inside one of the single family homes. The ferry leaves every 20 minutes from a dock next to the Bob-Lo Discovery Centre. The ride takes about 5 or 10 minutes, instead of the hour it used to take whenone departedon the other side of the border. See all (4) Barb's Boblo Tavern. The folks from the residential areas use golf carts toget to the community pool in the center of the island, just a stones throw from the almost hundred-year-old, still standing Dance Pavilion: And here is where things get interesting. Claire V can fit up to 16 vehicles as well as pedestrians and cyclists. One of the more high-end homes on the north end of Boblo Island, Ontario. Boblo Island is preparing to greet more than 200 new residents with construction soon to begin and new roads in the south end of the island recently completed . Although the name will seem new to most of us, it's actually the original historic name of the island that was home to the historic . Private cottages and government property remained at the north and south ends of the island. When you disembark from the ferry, youfindyourself adjacent to a private very well-to-do residential 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. Abandoned Boblo Island Amusement Park is a former amusement park which ran from 1898 until its closure on September 30, 1993. Most of the homes on the island also come with a large amount of property. In my days they were very comparable although I think Cedar Point was a little larger. I would bring back the lost souls and add life to the island again. 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. Ive been talking to friends who also loved Boblo and I am going to do further study. Just read one of the many postcards you can find online from people back in the day. See All Homes for Sale in Amherstburg. 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. Part of the experience was the long boat ride to the island. On the far side of the ride, people wait in line. Boblo Island today: Check out recent photos from one of the Boblo boats. It's a place for those looking to surround themselves with nature, including the more than 50 different species of birds. Here are some we found on various blogs and forums: I was one of the last generations of people who were able to enjoy Bob-Lo island amusement park. Well later that same summer (1972) I went with 2 of my brothers, one older and one younger with our Mother. 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. 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. The park has been closed since 1993, but the legend of Boblo is still strong. If anyone has Meade Gougeon's cell number, seriously, call him. . The 1991, the boats ceased their 81-year run, and the park closed in 1993. [32], Boblo's Scootaboats, which were very similar to well known Bumper Cars, were a popular ride. Only one blockhouse remains today. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Parts of that tower still stand. Bois Blanc Island was where Shawnee Chief Tecumseh, a Native American warrior, decided to place his headquarters during the War of 1812. 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. Many years later, the ferries were sold but the service was continued by a number of different, smaller boats. 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). Boblo Island opened in 1898. One of the many residential homes on the north end of Boblo Island, Ontario, seen Wednesday, July 27, 2016. It lies just above the mouth of the Detroit River. A combined force of British and Native American soldiers in canoes surprised and overpowered an American vessel en route to Detroit. In 1991, the two Boblo boats were sold and smaller ferries took people from Gibraltar, MI., to the island, as well as to and from Amherstburg, Ontario. 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. To rebuild would be one of lifes pleasures. Copyright 2023 ClickOnDetroit.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. Over the years it grew into a unique island amusement park, with a midway and dozens of rides. Here are some of the homes and what life is like on Boblo Island today. There are two total bedrooms in this home. Visitors could travel between rides and attractions using a mini railroad. The dance pavilion built in 1913 was the largest in North America until 1925. During the mid-19th century, the island was sold in parcels to several private owners who built cottages, stables, and trails. 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. 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. It was on a small island in the Detroit River at the mouth of Lake Erie. These steamers could carry more than 2,000 passengers from Detroit to the island. mopar 727 transmission casting numbers. The control room area through broken glass. This is the structure that once housed the Boblo Island Amusement Park bumper cars. Bob-Lo Island Beach House Restaurant Visiters to the marina can visit the small gallery of photographs and paintings of water scenes or rent bikes to explore the island (although what appeared to be the bike rental building was closed on this July Saturday, so perhaps not). 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). Not fair to blame millionaires when often it is a corporation that can run out money after 5 or 6 bad years. You know what I think, I have never been over there. In 1993, after nearly 100 years in the business of entertainment, it was decided that the park was to be closed. Presented in the name of the border cities of Detroit, Windsor, and Amherstburg. The ship in mid-swing. Here are some of the homes and what life is like on Boblo Island today. I mean Harbour House is nice, but would be nice to have a better view of the water (other than the marina) where you can watch the big ships go by. Would love to know more about your experience working on the Bob-Lo boats. Not one thing mentioned on the dance hall being 100 years old this year. Bois Blanc has been part of Canada since 1787. The 18-mile boat ride was carried out by the famous ships: the Columbia, built in 1902, and the Ste. Its sad that my kids will never be able to go there and ride the same rides I did as a kid. 'Boblo Boats: A Detroit Ferry Tale' is a new documentary, created by Aaron Shillinger, that tell the tale of Dr. Ron Kattoo, who is on a mission to restore the SS. The Detroit-Wayne County Port Authority found a way to end a 100-year agreement that gave the Moroun-owned Ambassador Port Co. sweeping control, but questions remain about the speed at which the deal gained approval of the public authority's board, transparency about the deal and what it means for the port going forward. There are just two ways in and out of the island. 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. I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. - Bonnie, Oh! (LogOut/ In 1991, those boats were sold and smaller ferries took people from Gibraltar, Mich., to the island, as well as Amherstburg. And then came the Boblo Island Amusement Park with its famous Screamer, Nightmare, and Wild Mouse rides, its zoo, and carousel. It may be under different management than when I had a pretty tasty perch sandwich there, but you can find out more, including their hours at: http://www.boblo.ca/pages/living/restaurant.html, Thank you very much for info. Ferry passengers could be going to the island to patronize the restaurant. The ferry is a short four minute ride to the island. 3 F 1 1/2. With probably more than a bit of clean-up and reconstruction, it would make a wonderful venue for a wedding reception!!! During the Rebellion of 1837, "patriots" from the U.S. invaded the island in 1838. 2,000. Potentially, it could become a wedding reception hall or hotel. 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. Peaking through the windows, you can see it's being used for storage. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The steamers, the Ste. [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 only other way to get to the island is to dock a private boat. Its a shame that Boblo Island had to close. You can still see the words "Boblo Island" on the Space Needle, 25 years after the park's closing. People can dock their private boats there, or take a four-minute ferry ride from Amherstburg, Ontario. The Browning Family sold the island in 1979, which led to several owners in the following years, including IBC and AAA of Michigan. Answer (1 of 2): I have barely recallable memories of POP. That is what the park was supposed to be about. Share. It was like a little cruise. The children of this time will never get to enjoy what we did when we were children. You do it for other people. [5] The boats were sold off as a result of a decision to shutter operations at the Detroit dock. ), Thank you so much for the great information. Its amusement rides were sold in 1994. Once a landmark amusement park, Boblo Island is ready to essentially triple its current population through a new. My concern with respect to Bob-Lo Island is that what structures are left from the islands very interesting history are not being adequately protected. Today the community on this island is known as the Marina Resort Community. how much was bitcoin in 2010. pets4homes boost advert 9, Juin, 2022. smugglers inn steak soup recipe; When was the last time yousailed down the Detroit River toBob-Lo Island, to summertime? This year, I hear theres an ice cream concession, Captain Bobs on the island (http://www.rivertowntimes.com/?s=Captain+bobs&submit). 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. I know the kids and people of this generation are definitely looking forward to more developments. The island is about 2.5 miles long, 0.5 mile wide and 272 acres in size. As a child I went to Bob-Lo Island every summer from the Detroit Side of the island. Barely visible remains of the park. They are located next to the Dance Hall. Heres an article that was in this past Sundays Detroit Free Press: http://www.freep.com/article/20140706/NEWS05/307060053/boblo-island-memories-boat-development Speaking of Sugar Island, have you heard, as of last year, theres now a public beach there? This is actually only about half of the full-size basement which has been fitted with windows and electricity for add-on bedrooms. Although Boblo Island Beach House is pretty good. It had e. For more excitement there was the Whip, Wild Mouse, Tilt-a-Whirl, and Dodgeem Cars. Its very sad because growing up that was all everyone talked about was Boblo Island, and all the amazing memories. Though not all is lost. They created a destination to keep themselves busy on the weekend. [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. About Boblo Island Amusement Park: It was awesome 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 men's entrance is to the left. Plants and overgrown grass fill the dirt paths near the Space Needle. Look at Sugar Island.it once was a special place. After the short ferry ride, residents simply drive right onto the island onto Boblo Island Blvd. The operations ended in 1993. At the end of the turbulent 75 minutes, Boblo Boats brings us up-to-date on restoration efforts for both ferries while simultaneously summoning an unanticipated moral force. In 1973, the Thunder Bolt coaster was built, which drew long lines. 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. why did boblo island close. RE/MAX Preferred Realty Ltd. - 585. The SS Ste. It is a story told in a new movie that premiered last week in Detroit called "Boblo Boats: A Detroit Ferry Tale". The Boblo Island boat, S.S. Ste Claire, was destroyed on Friday morning after a massive fire on the ship. (Check out more Boblo history at BobloSteamers.com), Alex Atwell put together an awesome tour of the Ste. One of these survived to become a souvenir stand for the amusement park. Many of you remember taking the journey to the top for a breathtaking view of the park. The old Dance Hall sits majestically abandoned on the center of the island. On that trip, my companions on the Bob-Lo Excursion Line steamer were other ninth graders from Livonias Holmes Junior High. Without Michael's approval the park was closed, the rides sold off, dismantled and shipped away. The park was sold but never got up and running again so all the rides and boats were sold. . Boblo Island Amusement Park ran from 1898 to 1993. 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. Claire and the SS Columbia? Thank you again!! Hard to believe it was an big destination, it seems too small to support an amusement park. wayne hills high school marching band; code postal ariana borj louzir; homes for sale on cary drive auburn, al The classic boats stopped running in 1991 and the amusement park was shuttered after the 1993 season. Today, 24 years after the park was closed and 118 years after its grand opening, little remains as a reminder of the islands history. [23] Townhouses and condominiums were proposed in 1997. St. Clair Shores (1950-60s) & never went to the park. No one was injured, and there is no word as to what punishment the boys received. Sq.Ft. In 1949, the island was threatened by bankruptcy. Now surrounded by tall grass and weeds, the park's historic entertainment theater remains near the center of the island. The website is that of Bob-Lo Island Custom Home Builder, the developer of the Marina Resort Community, Boblos current rendition. 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). All rights reserved (About Us). 90-year old Captain Bob-Lo greets passengers - 1970s. - Mellissa M. Sources: BobloSteamers.com, Water Winter Wonderland. The island is 2.5 miles long and a half-mile wide - just 272 acres. Several Detroit organizations held annual picnics on the island. Claire, built in 1910. [27] Dominic Amicone became the new owner in 2005. - Marva, I am 63 years old and I remember Bob-lo so well. The legend of Boblo is still strong in Detroit. The east side of the island is now home to residential property, marinas, a restaurant and more. I loved going there as it was much smaller than Cedar Point so riding the rides didnt take so long. "[2] The Michigan Supreme Court fined the company $25 for the discrimination they presented towards Ray.
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