For the people who bought property thereyou bought land that was so important to the neighboring cities and had brought so many families together. 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. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Once known as Bois Blanc Island, Boblo lies on the Detroit River on the Canadian side. For visitors based in Detroit, it was about 30 kilometers away and could be reached by ferry. Colorful adirondack chairs surround a campfire pit near Captain Bob's. The restaurant is open to residents and visitors Thursday through Sunday. The island has quite an interesting history. If you are adventurous and don't mind a difficult climb, you can make a reservation (months in advance) and enter the crown. I found this very useful for Information! A street sign shows people where they are as they arrive on the island. This year, I hear theres an ice cream concession, Captain Bobs on the island (http://www.rivertowntimes.com/?s=Captain+bobs&submit). The little that remains of the park is covered with vegetation or has been demolished. 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. As I have written to the owner of the company that bought the island: You have no idea how much Boblo Island Amusement Park was to our society. The non-French residents called it Boblo, and the name was officially accepted in 1949. 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. The Bobl-Lo Island of today? This is the living space inside one of the single family homes. Bois Blanc is known regionally as the former home of the Boblo Island Amusement Park, which began operation in 1898 and closed on September 30, 1993. I, too, went there every year as a child from Detroit. 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. After 85 years of operation, these two sister steamships - the oldest in America - awaken from a deep slumber to find a devoted team of enthusiasts have set out to rescue them from their deteriorating state. BOBLO ISLAND AMUSEMENT PARK entertained people from both Canada and USA for 96 YEARS ! There's a white sand beach, walking trails, water sports, a waterside restaurant, an ice cream parlor and an in-ground pool. Loved going to Bob-Lo as a kid. Along with homes, there are also property lots for sale in which people can build homes on. The people of Detroit, Michigan characterized it as that city's Coney Island. The company had just been sold to a group from Texas who ran a small 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. It was a terrible idea to put a roller coaster in there. Anyone remember how much fun the dance floor was and how beautiful the boats were. A powerhouse that supplied electricity to the nearby Carousel which is no longer there. About Boblo Island Amusement Park: From Queens, you can get there via the Roosevelt Island Bridgethis is the only way to walk or drive onto the island. Each boat could hold about 2,500 passengers. The Browning Family sold the island in 1979, which led to several owners in the following years, including IBC and AAA of Michigan. On June 21, 1945, the steamer Columbia blew its whistle and left the Detroit dock to make the eighteen-mile trip to the Bob-Lo Island Amusement Park. A parking stub from Boblo Island, 1988 525 55 shares Like Most relevant Ryan Hance How long ago did this place close and why did it close down? [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. He also authors the Morning Report Newsletter and various other newsletters. steeped in history is open for business. Its maybe a five-minute ride, no more than 10 minutes with the docking. The ride takes about 5 or 10 minutes, instead of the hour it used to take . The tiny island is located in the middle of the East River, parallel to Manhattan's East 46th to 85th Streets. Claire and the Columbia, as well as their Detroit docks, had been divested a few years earlier in 1991. I grew up visiting the island and Im hoping to return to explore it again someday. The plan is to restore it and have it run in the Hudson River Valley. The rides were sold in 1994, but as we discovered via YouTube, a number of the park's structures still stand on the island. If all this talk of Edgewater Park has sent you into a nostalgic funk, never fear: the video below, posted (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. You'd be hard-pressed to find much evidence of those rides now. [18], In 1994, John Oram, an Iraqi immigrant to the United States who owned car stereo businesses, purchased the Boblo Island site. The last summer that Bob-Lo operated as an amusement park was almost two decades ago: 1993. He wore a variety of colorful clothing, including a large hat with 'Captain Bob Lo' on the peak, and was typically equipped with binoculars for navigation purposes. [32], Boblo's Scootaboats, which were very similar to well known Bumper Cars, were a popular ride. "We are at the point in restoration to where it was a steel skeleton structure ready to be rebuilt." My favorite ride was the Log Ride, I thought it was the greatest thing of all time. 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. 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). During the Rebellion of 1837, "patriots" from the U.S. invaded the island in 1838. 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The island is mainly a place where people can live in serenity. 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. I am so sad every time I think about Bob Lo. Its sister. My husband is from These are some of the many doors leading to the inside of the old Dance Hall. In 1973, the Thunder Bolt coaster was built, which drew long lines. [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. - LJ. Our world today, especially with the pandemic, needs what we all once had back in this society. Bois Blanc has been part of Canada since 1787. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Mike! They created a destination to keep themselves busy on the weekend. Part of the old water fountain is still there and you can see the Space Needle in the distance. -Bob-Lo Island Amusement Park 1898-1993 Thanks . Gloomy days sometimes deserve black and white treatment. It was finally decided in 1949 to officially re-name the island and the park Bob-Lo, in a matter of simplification (today it is still referred to by both names on maps of the area). It is a wonderful place with beautiful heritage and history, that is why I chose to live here. 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. Several Detroit organizations held annual picnics on the island. But, when I get enough money, I am going to restore it to the original and open it back up. There are no hotels. The 106-year-old classic excursion steamer Ste. 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. Today, 24 years after the park was closed and 118 years after its grand opening, little remains as a reminder of the islands history. Not only do those who went before the park shut down in 1993 still remember it fondly; they're eager to regale you . With a blast of the big steam whistle, lines were cast off, and the 20-mile voyage began, taking about 80 minutes. Boater can also dock at the Boblo Wharf on the west side of the island, to eat at the Bob-Lo Island Beach House Restaurant. Claire, built in 1910. This historic boat carried passengers to and from Boblo Island, and amusement park located on the Detroit River. 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. 2023 Detroit Historical Society. [2], The State of Michigan brought a racial discrimination case against the operators of the ferry service. The old Dance Hall sits majestically abandoned on the center of the island. Not one thing mentioned on the dance hall being 100 years old this year. About Boblo Island: The dock is gone and the passageway is mostly surrounded by weeds and overgrown grass. After 1796, British interests controlled the island and it was the staging point for the first local action in the War of 1812. [10], With no buyers materializing, Norton Auctioneers of Coldwater, Michigan, was retained to sell the property at auction on February 10, 1993. 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. 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