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 . One reason is competition from larger theme parks. Millions of Americans and Canadians share memories of riding the Swan Boats or the train that circled the park. The boat would stop there to take people to the island for the day. why did boblo island close - ultimaterealestatecalculator.com British troops captured 60 people and built three log blockhouses to defend the island. Remember it was a time when girls wore dresses and not pants, so we sure had to be careful on the rides (check out the pictures how the girls were dressed). No one was injured, and there is no word as to what punishment the boys received. It is now an expensive, gated housing community with a private clubhouse. The SS Ste. 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. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. One of the many residential homes on the north end of Boblo Island, Ontario, seen Wednesday, July 27, 2016. They created a destination to keep themselves busy on the weekend. (Emily Rose Bennett | MLive.com). Im glad you made this comment. 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. 3 F 1 1/2. The 1878 Mangels-Illions Carousels 44 horses, two goats, and two deer were sold for more than $1 million. why did boblo island close - wanderingbakya.com 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.. (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. Boblo Island became the headquarters for the Shawnee Chief Tecumseh during the War of 1812. Its a shame that Boblo Island had to close. [2], Though it was not looking for a buyer, the Michigan AAA sold Boblo Island in 1988 to the International Broadcasting Corporation, a Minneapolis-based concern that owned the Harlem Globetrotters and Ice Capades. There are two total bedrooms in this home. Historic Boblo boats land role in Transformers 4 | CBC News See All Homes for Sale in Amherstburg. This was particularly true during the Great Depression and the World War II era, when finances were tight and the world seemed to exist in a perpetual state of anxiety. A sign leads residents and visitors to dining venues and the marina on Boblo Island. Sue Cicala. [29], The tower for the Space Needle ride was demolished in 2021, with Amicone citing "health and safety concerns". When did Boblo boat stop running? Claire, built in 1910. Boblo Boats: A Detroit Ferry Tale YouTube Channel The park closed in 1993 as a result of poor management and attendance was shrinking because of other parks like Cedar Point. The company had just been sold to a group from Texas who ran a small park. After the short ferry ride, residents simply drive right onto the island onto Boblo Island Blvd. My birthday is coming up, maybe my family can take me to the island. Or not. Fire destroys former Boblo boat at Detroit marina - The Detroit News It is a wonderful place with beautiful heritage and history, that is why I chose to live here. The first thing I did when I got back home was to search for a Bob-Lo Historical Society on the Internet. It was a Canadian Island and had passenger boats that sailed from Detroit, Gibraltar and Amherstburg Ontario. [18], In 1994, John Oram, an Iraqi immigrant to the United States who owned car stereo businesses, purchased the Boblo Island site. 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. 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. Which may not be surprising, given that its been many thingscamp for European explorers, fortress, picnic spot, dance venue, amusement park, retreatto many people over the centuries beginning with four Algonquin and Iroquoian tribes:the Ojibwa (Chippewa), Ottawa, Potawatomi and the Wyandot (Huron)one source claims the original name of the island was Etiowiteedannenti, a name bestowed by the Wyandotand followed by: The first recorded passage to the island, which was named Bois Blanc (White Woods), by the French dates from 1670. Not one thing mentioned on the dance hall being 100 years old this year. Baths. It was a terrible idea to put a roller coaster in there. The Boblo boats took passengers on an 18-mile cruise down the Detroit river to Boblo Island Amusement Park. To rebuild would be one of lifes pleasures. Its maybe a five-minute ride, no more than 10 minutes with the docking. Its a wonderful feeling strolling the island, standing next to buildings where 10s of thousands of souls now long departed use to frequent. Both vessels are bound for Boblo Island. In fact, one of those . [30], The Falling Star, log flume, Enterprise, Sky Tower (Space Needle), Ferris wheel, a zoo, and a carousel were the signature attractions. Boblo Island Amusement Park had its own custom version of bumper cars, known as Boblos Scootaboats. There is a dock at the restaurant on the island, Sue. Courtesy of the Detroit Historical Society, Photographer Joe Clark. Bois Blanc Island, Pointe Aux Pins, MI 49775 +1 231-634-7100 + Add website + Add hours. In the distance is a building featuring dozens of condos. All Rights Reserved. If I had mega-millions I would invest in restoration of the island and the amusement park. This year, I hear theres an ice cream concession, Captain Bobs on the island (http://www.rivertowntimes.com/?s=Captain+bobs&submit). These people had no clue whatsoever as to the history of Detroit, or of Bob-Lo. 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. mike smithson tutor perini; ford f 350 ignition switch replacement. (LogOut/ Can you go over to the island any time? McLeans Mansion (Holly Lea): The historic building that was saved by the local community from demolition, The ruins of Richmond Castle: one of the oldest Norman fortresses in England. These homes are 1,250 square feet on the sides, 1,625 in the middle. http://boblo.ca/. After 1796, British interests controlled the island and it was the staging point for the first local action in the War of 1812. No Sinking Feeling: A Review of the Boblo Island Documentary Each held about 2,500 passengers. The place just went completely downhill. For more than 85 years, the Boblo Island Amusement Park was famous for being served by the Steamer Ste Claire and the Steamer Columbia excursion boats that could hold about 2,500 passengers each. Claireoffered their own form of entertainment. Claire, which used to take passengers to Boblo Island, sits on the Detroit River in August 2015. The steamers, the Ste. . Its amusement rides were sold in 1994. I just kayaked to Boblo Island today, and I saw so much potential left in this land. "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.". Over the roughly two-and-a-half decades that have passed since the closure, many of the most telltale signs of the park have faded away, including the ultra spooky-looking ferry boats that used to. An island in Amherstburg, Ont. [16] Moodenbaugh later sued Benaroya and others for attempting to sell the park while he lay in a "virtual coma". 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. Boblo officially closed in 1993. The bike rental shop was closed, but you can check your weight for free. . 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. Though not all is lost. The remnants of Boblo Island Amusement Park: Boblo Island as it is Today - 94.7 WCSX Boblo Island looks much different today, and if developers reach their goals, it will be almost unrecognizable to past thrill-seekers when was the last day of this park operated (i mean the last summur )when it was open for public for the last and until what day was the ferry or the steamer making trip, and can you visit it now. The biggest surprise during my visit to Bob-Lo came from a different sort of stranger than the type Id been envisioning when I was watching the girls swim in the river. The park was sold but never got up and running again so all the rides and boats were sold. The Sky Streak Ride, for example, was moved to Selva Magica, a theme park in Mexico, and the Nightmare was initially moved to Six Flags Houston where it was known as the Mayan Mindbender, only to be moved once again to a theme park in Amarillo, Texas. You can still see the words "Boblo Island" on the Space Needle, 25 years after the park's closing. 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. Just read one of the many postcards you can find online from people back in the day. Visit Boblo.ca for information about living on the island. Ferry passengers could be going to the island to patronize the restaurant. For 81 years, she ferried generations of families as they experienced a Windsor-Detroit right of passage: an island getaway to the beloved Boblo Island amusement park. "Living on the island feels like being on vacation everyday," said Gena Boschin, a former Tennessee resident who lives on the island and works in Amherstburg. Once a landmark amusement park, Boblo Island is ready to essentially triple its current population through a new. I loved going there as it was much smaller than Cedar Point so riding the rides didnt take so long. 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? I did notice, however, the last time we went the island had gone downhill quite a bit. We were participating in a totally sanctioned, transportation-provided-by-the-school-district Ninth-Grade Skip Day. We would have boarded either the Ste. Claire or the Columbia, but no cellphone cameras documented that embarkation and carrying a Kodak Instamatic simply would not have been cool. During the mid-19th century, the island was sold in parcels to several private owners who built cottages, stables, and trails. Plants and overgrown grass fill the dirt paths near the Space Needle. - Bonnie, Oh! Series: DOCUMERICA: The Environmental Protection Agency's Program to Photographically Document Subjects of Environmental Concern, 1972 - 1977, via National Archives and Records Administration, Photo: Courtesy of the Detroit Historical Society, A glass blower puts on a demonstration in the craftsmen's area - 1970s, A child takes a spin on a ride at Boblo Island - 1970s. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. I agree with Maureen. British troops captured 60 of the attackers and built three log blockhouses to defend the island. A combined force of British and Native American soldiers in canoes surprised and overpowered an American vessel en route to Detroit. The earliest historical reference, from 1718, describes 70 Native American families peacefully farming the fertile land. A powerhouse that supplied electricity to the nearby Carousel which is no longer there. As one can use motor vehicles only in the northern residential tip of the island, if you plan to explore the island, you may want to bring a bike with you. Well, it went out of business a long time ago, but we found a few videos of what it looks like today -- check them out here. 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. Or for the Lavatory building next to it, built to match the other stone buildings on the island. Purchasing a home on Boblo Island? Poison ivy now grows in the ring of mature trees in front of the Lavatory building, where I imagine the men in hatsretiring for a smoke while they await their dates inflapper attireto emerge from The Ladies Room.. 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. Boblo Island Amusement Park: closed after nearly 100 years 559 gold coast 777777 w Beginning in 1952, Joe Short, a man of diminutive physical stature, was employed as 'Captain Boblo', and traveled on the boats entertaining passengers of all ages.