The Ste. You can still see the words "Boblo Island" on the Space Needle, 25 years after the park's closing. They are located next to the Dance Hall. Many of the other rides are still entertaining guests at parks in Texas, Maryland, British Columbia, and Mexico. You support the mega millionaires who dont care about anything else in life except their bank accounts. The British also built a lighthouse in 1836 which operated until 1959. - LJ. I was born and raised in Wyandotte, Michigan. Find useful information, the address and the phone number of the local business you are looking for. [19] He vaguely proposed a casino, hotel, and other development. Gone are the roller coasters, but there are plenty of. The island is a five-minute ferry ride from Amherstburg, Ontario, and 18 miles from Detroit. Potentially, it could become a wedding reception hall or hotel. 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. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. The beautiful wood flooring should never have been ripped out. How I recall the fun times of going to Bob-Lo, with my sisters and brother. [2] After Michigan found Bob-Lo guilty and fined the company, Bob-Lo filed a lawsuit against the state, Bob-Lo Excursion Co. v. Michigan, 333 U.S. 28 (1948). Larry Benaroya, his associate, and his Northern Capital took control of the property; Mancini was fired, and the ownership group put it back on the market in January 1994. Are there houses on Boblo Island? (2023) - ptylli.best Boblo Island looks much different today, and if developers reach their goals, it will be almost unrecognizable to past thrill-seekers So sad. On the far side of the ride, people wait in line. It's located in Amherstburg, Ontario. http://boblo.ca/. The 16mm film is from around 1960. More waterfront dining. 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. why did boblo island close. Or for the Lavatory building next to it, built to match the other stone buildings on the island. The Bobl-Lo Island of today? Ken Haddad is the digital content and audience manager for WDIV / ClickOnDetroit.com. A private community is now being built on the island. [32] The dance hall was the second largest in the world, holding 5,000 dancers at full capacity[31] and featured one of the world's largest orchestrions from the Welte company: a 16 foot tall, 14 foot wide, self-playing Wotan-model orchestrion with 419 pipes and percussion section. 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. Residents of the small community live among acres and acres of nature, just steps from water. 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 (correct name: Bois Blanc) is an island in the Detroit River on the Canadian side of the border and is part of Amherstburg, Ontario. One to pick up, and one to return people. Boblo Island became the headquarters for the Shawnee Chief Tecumseh during the War of 1812. Boblo's miniature railroad was perfect for those interested in something more leisurely than the island's rollercoaster. It runs every 20 minutes, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year at a fee of $10 each way. These steamers could carry more than 2,000 passengers from Detroit to the island. The park was closed for the 1933-1934 seasons due to the Great Depression. 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. Copyright 2023 ClickOnDetroit.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. Boblo Island was an amusement park that was at one time larger than Cedar Point. People from all over Michigan, Canada and from as far away as California, have chosen to make Boblo Island their home. The place just went completely downhill. No Sinking Feeling: A Review of the Boblo Island Documentary Quite disappointing that we never went back, management was doing a terrible job. 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. I agree. [29], The tower for the Space Needle ride was demolished in 2021, with Amicone citing "health and safety concerns". The remnants of Boblo Island Amusement Park: (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. We dont save anything for history any more. the building is not secure, given that one-quarter of a large window in the front is broken in, metal strips hanging from its frame. [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. Most people just drive their vehicles onto the ferry from Amherstburg and are home in a few minutes. Courtesy of the Detroit Historical Society, Photographer Joe Clark. 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. Check out recent photos from one of the Boblo boats. Whatever happened to Boblo Island? (Detroit, Grosse Ile: amusement This photo shows people boarding the SS St. Claire (built in 1910) bound for Boblo Island. A retreat for the wealthy, amidst dilapidated remnants of history and ghosts of the past, with nature ever encroaching. ), Thank you so much for the great information. For more excitement there was the Whip, Wild Mouse, Tilt-a-Whirl, and Dodgeem Cars. Abandoned Boblo Island Amusement Park | FREAKTOGRAPHY The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. This is a small area of the white sand beach open to residents of Boblo Island. This is the structure that once housed the Boblo Island Amusement Park bumper cars. Two years later, very little had been done.[34]. Questions linger over speed, transparency, impact of Detroit port Not one thing mentioned on the dance hall being 100 years old this year. This thrilling park closed its doors for good in 1981, but not before providing visitors with decades of fun. You can also visit Boblo.ca. You can explore and find the foundations of the dance floor ruins. [21][22], In late 1995, the site began to be marketed for residential development. This is the remnants of an old putt-putt golf course. In June 1945, Sarah Elizabeth Ray and 12 other female workers involved in the war effort (and referred to as "girls" during the legal proceedings) took part in a sponsored trip to Boblo Island. The steamers, the Ste. 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. Take a look at the link below as we take you a journey through what was once Boblo Island Amusement Park, right up to its emerging transformation. Huntington. Find the best offers for your search boblo island. After the short ferry ride, residents simply drive right onto the island onto Boblo Island Blvd. We need to preserve what we have left, just for historys sake. | 5401 Woodward, Detroit, MI 48202. Author: Michael R Stoller Jr CC BY-ND 2.0 Though not all is lost. Purchasing a home on Boblo Island? Exploring and discovering those remains is a thrill in its own right. [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. Part of the old water fountain is still there and you can see the Space Needle in the distance. Favorite Boblo Island Rides | Detroit Historical Society Several Detroit organizations held annual picnics on the island. Claire, seen in 2016. Particularly down at White Sands beach below the Lighthouse (http://www.flickr.com/photos/33535417@N05/4112593095/), where two boats were anchored during my visit to the south end of the island with a large group of partying young people. In the distance is a building featuring dozens of condos. "Boblo Boats: A Detroit Ferry Tale" resurfaces impactful history of I enjoyed BobLo so much as a child-we boarded the boats in Wyandotte. The ruins of what remains can be seen via the waterway that separates both Michigan and Ontario, but for many, the memories of this once-bustling park are what truly keep it alive. Only one blockhouse remains today. What a wonderful goal, Andrew! Michelle, I interpret Roys use of the phrase mega-millionaires as being in service of describing the island developers, not the residents. [7] Though one expert felt that Boblo was too big to fail outright and could be turned around,[8] By June, however, no firm offers had been made for the park. Review. Claire, which used to take passengers to Boblo Island, sits on the Detroit River in August 2015. - Bonnie, Oh! [28] However, a local housing slump meant little was developed. Abandoned Boblo Island Amusement Park is a former amusement park which ran from 1898 until its closure on September 30, 1993. The Beach House Goodie Shack offers apparel, gifts, and home decor for residents and visitors Thursday through Sunday. Claire and the Columbia, as well as their Detroit docks, had been divested a few years earlier in 1991. For First Time in 124 Yrs, There is No Such Place as Boblo Island why did boblo island close - kreweofcarrollton.org Some of the most popular rides were "The Nightmare," "Sky Streak, "Screamer," and "Wild Mouse.". The 106-year-old classic excursion steamer Ste. 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 can only imagine the dangers of the dilapidated buildings, to say nothing of concerns about strangers. 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. One of those blockhouses remains, and is open for touring. The story of Boblo Island - WDIV Ray was removed from the boat because she was not white, enforced according to a Bob-Lo company policy "excluding so-called 'zoot-suiters', the rowdyish, the rough, and the boisterous, and it also adopted the policy of excluding colored. Boblo officially closed 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. I was 7 years old when the ferries stopped running in 1991. 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.