Thank you again for the information. The control room area through broken glass. If you are adventurous and don't mind a difficult climb, you can make a reservation (months in advance) and enter the crown. | 5401 Woodward, Detroit, MI 48202. The Boblo boat took passengers on an 18-mile cruise down the Detroit river to Boblo Island Amusement Park. Look at Sugar Island.it once was a special place. The Whip was installed in 1920, which was a huge hit, essentially paying for itself. 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. 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.. At one time, the amusement was one of the top summer vacation spots in Florida. Plant life around the old Space Needle observation tower. The rides were sold to other amusement parks around the country. The old Dance Hall sits majestically abandoned on the center of the island. Courtesy of the Detroit Historical Society, Photographer Joe Clark. Once built, the dance hall was the second largest in the world, able to accommodate no less than 5,000 dancers. 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. 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. . Required fields are marked *. To add . - Kathy G. We kids were able to run up and down the stairs on the boat and go to the dance floor. 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). 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.. For 19 years, the site has been abandoned, with many rides left to battle corrosion and plant life. This year, I hear theres an ice cream concession, Captain Bobs on the island (http://www.rivertowntimes.com/?s=Captain+bobs&submit). You can still see the words "Boblo Island" on the Space Needle, 25 years after the park's closing. You can just picture all of the kids having fun smashing into each other in their cars. You may have more than a few challenges now that people live there, but I wish you the best of luck! Once the island closed, the boats sat abandoned for years. I was 7 years old when the ferries stopped running in 1991. I just would like to see whats there and for my family to share it with me. Photo courtesy of the Detroit Historical Society. What did you do? On the far side of the ride, people wait in line. 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. Places like fort custer, MI and fort sheridan, illinois, all sold to profiteers. http://bit.ly/2cIo6Ny (Video by Alex Atwell), VINTAGE BOBLO: Throwback video of the old Boblo boat and Boblo Island. It is a wonderful place with beautiful heritage and history, that is why I chose to live here. I wish that the people that bought this island could restore it. My most vivid memory is the Sky Diver ride. Sue Cicala. Would love to know more about your experience working on the Bob-Lo boats. The park was located on Bois Blanc Island, Ontario. By The last day of "Oldies Week" is today (at least for now), and the response from the Woody Boater community was fantastic. The rides were sold in 1994, but as we discovered via YouTube, a number of the park's structures still stand on the island. 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. - Mellissa M. Sources: BobloSteamers.com, Water Winter Wonderland. Visit Boblo.ca for information about living on the island. It's just a stone's throw from historic Amherstburg, Ontario, which is a 30-minute drive from Windsor. But the partnership soon dissolved into a clash of wills that led to the collapse of the amusement park and a bitter lawsuit. For the people who bought property thereyou bought land that was so important to the neighboring cities and had brought so many families together. Action Park in New Jersey is known as the most dangerous amusement park in the country, six people passed away from 1980 to 1987. Several Detroit organizations held annual picnics on the island. A parking stub from Boblo Island, 1988 http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2013/05/23/grosse-iles-sugar-island-beach-opens-to-public-saturday/ (Sorry, you may need to copy and paste the website addresses above; my link feature is not successfully linking at the moment. The sociology of unemployment - Tom Boland 2015-07-01 The sociology of unemployment is an analysis of the experience and governance of unemployment. [15] Moodenbaugh had hired Liberal MPP Remo Mancini to help market the park. Yongma Land Abandoned Theme Park. Finally, A young entrepreneur who successfully turned around a floundering amusement park in suburban Seattle bought Bob-Lo hoping to turn it around. He's been with WDIV since 2013. In 1991, those boats were sold and smaller ferries took people from Gibraltar, Mich., to the island, as well as Amherstburg. 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? Presented in the name of the border cities of Detroit, Windsor, and Amherstburg. These people had no clue whatsoever as to the history of Detroit, or of Bob-Lo. Please dont judge us without knowing us! Very little remains, physically, of the amusement park attractions, but what we did find is fascinating, as you'll see in the link below. Many years later, the ferries were sold but the service was continued by a number of different, smaller boats. Following the war, British forces garrisoned at Fort Malden in Amherstburg, across the river from Bois Blanc, and strengthened their position by building three blockhouses on the island. The island is now a residential community. This historic boat carried passengers to and from Boblo Island, and amusement park located on the Detroit River. Many locals still have great memories riding the ferry to Boblo Island Amusement Park, which eventually. To move visitors around the island, the park had a small railroad. At about 34-square miles, the island is 12 miles long and six miles long. It was just announced in The Windsor Star that the dance pavilion is now for sale. Here are the instructions how to enable JavaScript in your web browser. 1937 Technically, it was known as Eastwood Amusement Park, but nearly everyone called it Eastwood Park, or just Eastwood. The dance pavilion built in 1913 was the largest in North America until 1925. A lamp posts once used to illuminate the amusement park at night. A new film tells us. 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 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 18-mile boat ride was carried out by the famous ships: the Columbia, built in 1902, and the Ste. One of these survived to become a souvenir stand for the amusement park. Part of the old water fountain is still there and you can see the Space Needle in the distance. An island in Amherstburg, Ont. It is slated to include a luxury hotel, international shops & restaurants, a 107-berth boat dock, and a pier large enough to accommodate lake cruise ships along with The S.S. . The ferry runs 365 days a year, departing every 20 minutes. I did notice, however, the last time we went the island had gone downhill quite a bit. The last summer that Bob-Lo operated as an amusement park was almost two decades ago: 1993. The Ste. Every home on the island is just steps away from the water. Electric Park was the dream-come-true of Arthur C. Gaukler, a. http://boblo.ca/. Plenty of old carney magic still haunts this photogenic amusement park. Its sad that my kids will never be able to go there and ride the same rides I did as a kid. I recently visited the island to see that the old Theatre still stands. The 1991, the boats ceased their 81-year run, and the park closed in 1993. I grew up visiting the island and Im hoping to return to explore it again someday. I enjoyed BobLo so much as a child-we boarded the boats in Wyandotte. The Columbia is undergoing restoration. Boblo Island Amusement Park is an abandoned amusement park which operated from 1898 until its closure on September 30, 1993. The island was also an important stop on the Underground Railroad to Canada, which worked to help escaped slaves leave the country. A combined force of British and Native American soldiers in canoes surprised and overpowered an American vessel en route to Detroit. [1], The park was located on Bois Blanc Island, Ontario, just above the mouth of the Detroit River. On that trip, my companions on the Bob-Lo Excursion Line steamer were other ninth graders from Livonias Holmes Junior High. Exploring and discovering those remains is a thrill in its own right. By their very nature, amusement parks are places of fun, relaxation, excitement, and recreation. 2y Guy Adelini One of my favorite rides! [1] Screamer, a double corkscrew; Nightmare, an indoor all-dark ride; and Sky Streak, a steel out-and-back design, were its three roller coasters. I found this very useful for Information! If you need help with the Public File, call (313) 222-0566. There are no hotels. In 1993, after nearly 100 years in the business of entertainment, it was decided that the park was to be closed. [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. Riding the Rotor at Kennywood Park near Pittsburgh in 1955. 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. Since the amusement park's closure, Boblo Island has been renovated for luxury homes. Each held about 2,500 passengers. The park's coasters and rides were sold following its closing in 1993, but there are intriguing remnants. [10], With no buyers materializing, Norton Auctioneers of Coldwater, Michigan, was retained to sell the property at auction on February 10, 1993. Of more concern than strangers arriving by ferry would be the boats that pull up and anchor around the island on summer days. How I recall the fun times of going to Bob-Lo, with my sisters and brother. [30], The Falling Star, log flume, Enterprise, Sky Tower (Space Needle), Ferris wheel, a zoo, and a carousel were the signature attractions. Just read one of the many postcards you can find online from people back in the day. I just kayaked to Boblo Island today, and I saw so much potential left in this land. The Human Spinning Rotor or simply "The Rotor" was invented by a German scientist, Ernst Hoffmeister, and was financially supported by businessman Carl Friese. Scattered over the restof the island, there are still a number of structures left from other erasmidst overgrown grass, downed limbs from trees, and more than a few other surprises: At the south end of the island, two pieces of history, although damaged, still stand: In the portion of the island that was once the amusement parkBob-Lo as the babyboomers knew ita number of structures still stand: Unfortunately, despite a private-property-no-trespassing sign . 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. 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. 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). The restaurant just opened for the season on the 24th, this past Friday. A tennis court sits next to a home on the island. 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 Beach House Goodie Shack offers apparel, gifts, and home decor for residents and visitors Thursday through Sunday. Boblo Island was an amusement park that was open for nearly 100 years. I dont think it is sad at all! Two twin villa homes on the north end of the island. The first amusement park rides were moving by 1910. The place just went completely downhill. 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. This historic boat carried passengers to and from Boblo Island, and amusement park located on the Detroit River. Families need to be brought back together and enjoy their children once again. Visitors could travel between rides and attractions using a mini railroad. We were participating in a totally sanctioned, transportation-provided-by-the-school-district Ninth-Grade Skip Day. We would have boarded either the Ste. 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. 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. It's sister boat, the Columbia, was built in 1902. 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