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People from all over Michigan, Canada and from as far away as California, have chosen to make Boblo Island their home. 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? How I recall the fun times of going to Bob-Lo, with my sisters and brother. The living space of the Deerview twin villas. The park was sold but never got up and running again so all the rides and boats were sold. I agree. The place is oozing history. Required fields are marked *. Captain Bob's Ice Cream & Coffee Cabin is located on the western shore of Boblo Island, and is open for residents and visitors from Thursday through Sunday. The Whip was installed in 1920, which was a huge hit, essentially paying for itself. 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. I worked on the Boats in 1980. A combined force of British and Native American soldiers in canoes surprised and overpowered an American vessel en route to Detroit. You know what I think, I have never been over there. Here are some of the homes and what life is like on Boblo Island today. 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. Loved going to Bob-Lo as a kid. The website is that of Bob-Lo Island Custom Home Builder, the developer of the Marina Resort Community, Boblos current rendition. But there is new life on the island 23 years after the closing of the amusement park. In 1973, the Thunder Bolt coaster was built, which drew long lines. The dock is gone and the passageway is mostly surrounded by weeds and overgrown grass. It was the site of a conflict in 1838 during the Upper Canadian Rebellion, where 50 attackers were locked in one of the three blockhouses that had been built on the island. Electric Park was the dream-come-true of Arthur C. Gaukler, a. These people had no clue whatsoever as to the history of Detroit, or of Bob-Lo. 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). 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. For many in this part of Michigan, this boat resides in fond memories of trips to Boblo Island. This amusement park, while once the delight of both kids and adults until the early 90s, has been abandoned for more than two decades. All rights reserved (About Us). [1] The "Bob-Lo boats" boats were sold in November 1991. Not fair to blame millionaires when often it is a corporation that can run out money after 5 or 6 bad years. 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). It was in a time when the parents didn''t have to worry about the children. Boblo (or Bob-Lo) sparks memories for many adults who. [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. One of the many residential homes on the north end of Boblo Island, Ontario, seen Wednesday, July 27, 2016. Bois Blanc Island was where Shawnee Chief Tecumseh, a Native American warrior, decided to place his headquarters during the War of 1812. For visitors based in Detroit, it was about 30 kilometers away and could be reached by ferry. 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. The ferry leaves every 20 minutes from a dock next to the "Bob-Lo Discovery Centre.". [11] Roger Fachini, a 40-year-old engineer for General Dynamics and owner of a waterpark in Utica, Michigan, placed the winning $3.8 million bid and proposed redevelopment after two years,[12][13] but Boblo's creditors turned it down; after the deposit cheque bounced, they took $600,000 less in the bid from Enchanted Parks of Seattle, owners of the Wild Waves Theme Park near that city. It was one of the most popular places to dance in the 1920s. The island is 2.5 miles long and a half-mile wide - just 272 acres. The Beach House Goodie Shack offers apparel, gifts, and home decor for residents and visitors Thursday through Sunday. From the top deck of the SS St. Claire, passengers watch the SS Columbia (built in 1902). Its amusement rides were sold in 1994. It runs every 20 minutes, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year at a fee of $10 each way. We toured the Ste Claire in 2015 while restoration efforts were ongoing before fire gutted it on July 6, 2018. So sad. 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. Boblo Boats: A Detroit Fairy Tale Boblo Boats: A Detroit Ferry Tale YouTube Channel Today, 24 years after the park was closed and 118 years after its grand opening, little remains as a reminder of the islands history. Bob-Lo Park (Sometimes seen as Boblo) was established as an entertainment destination in 1898 by the Detroit,Belle Isleand Windsor Ferry Company. They operated a Rotor in West Germany at Oktoberfest in 1949. Its a shame that Boblo Island had to close. Would love to know more about your experience working on the Bob-Lo boats. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Mike! In 1991, those boats were sold and smaller ferries took people from Gibraltar, Mich., to the island, as well as Amherstburg. 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. Claire or the Columbia, but no cellphone cameras documented that embarkation and carrying a Kodak Instamatic simply would not have been cool. Two years later, very little had been done.[34]. [32], Boblo's Scootaboats, which were very similar to well known Bumper Cars, were a popular ride. The park's coasters and rides were sold following its closing in 1993, but there are intriguing remnants. 2023 Detroit Historical Society. Two twin villa homes on the north end of the island. They transformed the island into an amusement park, including a coaster, Ferris wheel, fun house and more. Peaking through the windows, you can see it's being used for storage. Here's what we saw as we recently explored the amusement park area. Plus it was a place where the 400-pipe, 4-meter high, self-playing orchestra was housed. The first thing I did when I got back home was to search for a Bob-Lo Historical Society on the Internet. The case reached the U.S. Supreme Court and resulted in a notable 1948 decision construing the scope of the commerce clause. Boblo Island Amusement Park had its own custom version of bumper cars, known as Boblos Scootaboats. One step on the old dock, and I saw an old run-down white platform, no life, no care in worldlike everyone was evacuated and told not to come back. I found this very useful for Information! 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 the beginning it was a picnic spot with beaches, athletic fields, bicycle tracks, and a stunning Mangels-Illions carousel. The plan is to restore it and have it run in the Hudson River Valley. I would bring back the lost souls and add life to the island again. He also authors the Morning Report Newsletter and various other newsletters. In 1949, bankruptcy threatened the island park. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Enter your email address to follow this site. Both vessels are bound for Boblo Island. [15] Moodenbaugh had hired Liberal MPP Remo Mancini to help market the park. On the south side of the road leading from the ferry dock is a five-story condominium: Between the river and the condominium is a trail which heads south along the islands perimeter and allows a walker orbicyclist to view a number of historical structures, including the Sailors Monument, which still graces the eastern shore of the island: The commemorative plaque affixed to the Sailors Monument reads: Dedicated to 134 years of American-Canadian friendship across 4500 miles of unfortified border, protected only by the mutual respect and understanding one nation holds for the other. Touch device users . Once a landmark amusement park, Boblo Island is ready to essentially triple its current population through a new. The island was also an important stop on the Underground Railroad to Canada, which worked to help escaped slaves leave the country. 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. People should not be making assumptions about the island residents. [2], The State of Michigan brought a racial discrimination case against the operators of the ferry service. All Rights Reserved. Yongma Land Abandoned Theme Park. Claire, former Boblo Boat", Bois Blanc Island Lighthouse National Historic Site of Canada, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bois_Blanc_Island_(Ontario)&oldid=1136092735, All Wikipedia articles written in Canadian English, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2015, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 28 January 2023, at 18:24. 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. Abandoned Boblo Island Amusement Park is a former amusement park which ran from 1898 until its closure on September 30, 1993. The ride takes about 5 or 10 minutes, instead of the hour it used to take . [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. There are just two ways in and out of the island. The dance pavilion built in 1913 was the largest in North America until 1925. Of more concern than strangers arriving by ferry would be the boats that pull up and anchor around the island on summer days. steeped in history is open for business. We also traveled from past to the present on the island, which was a must-visit destination for families for decades. The federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans owns the deteriorating dock, which once served as a gateway for ferry passengers heading to the former Boblo Island amusement park. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. I enjoyed BobLo so much as a child-we boarded the boats in Wyandotte. It is sad, Cheryl. People quit coming in the 1980s, then the money for upkeep is not there. Which theme park has the most deaths? 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. Very little remains, physically, of the amusement park attractions, but what we did find is fascinating, as you'll see in the link below. 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. Today the community on this island is known as the Marina Resort Community. 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. Detroit, Windsor and Belle Isle Ferry Company, From 2018: Old Boblo Island boat catches fire at Detroit marina. Some recent activity indicates this one might be saved. Its a wonderful feeling strolling the island, standing next to buildings where 10s of thousands of souls now long departed use to frequent. Thank you again!! At about 34-square miles, the island is 12 miles long and six miles long. However, due to lack of demand, the park closed in 2001 and never reopened. 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. It lies just above the mouth of the Detroit River and was commonly referred to as Detroit's Coney Island. 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? 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. Of demand, the developer of the island is 2.5 miles long and a half-mile -! Embarkation and carrying a Kodak Instamatic simply would not have been cool home Builder, the State of brought... 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