Gone are the roller coasters, but there are plenty of. ), Thank you so much for the great information. My twin daughters, now 35, remember, but my son, 28, will never know. washington county, maine death records 0. why did boblo island close. A lamp posts once used to illuminate the amusement park at night. The company was busy during the week, moving people and goods up and down the river. 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. I agree; it would be wonderful if the park could be restored or perhaps, reinvented to serve in a new way of bringing community together! I had the pleasure of delivering a load of stuffed animals to the Park in the early 1990s, was a trip i will never forget, driving my Freightliner truck and a 48 foot trailer onto the wharf to make the trip across the river in the middle of the night over to the island then driving around the the park, having to stop and wait for the park benches to be moved for me to able to get truck and trailer around the turns stopping here and there to off load these stuffed toys into little electric carts for the arcade games before the park opened the next day, Friday of a May 24 weekend. Claire and the SS Columbia? Second case of COVID-19 confirmed in Windsor-Essex City of Windsor declares state of emergency, Devonshire and Tecumseh malls to close Boblo Island residential development plan moving forward. The Detroit river is very short - it merely connects Lake Huron with Lake Erie. [1] Other smaller ferries served the park from Amherstburg and Gibraltar, Michigan, which were located closer to the park on the Detroit River. Most of the homes on the island also come with a large amount of property. 582 gold coast drive boblo island ontario windsor essex ontario mls 22015670 video tour available at https wwwdangemuscom listings welcome to the awesome lifestyle on bois blanc also known as boblo. 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? This is the living space inside one of the single family homes. I, too, went there every year as a child from Detroit. Gone are the roller coasters, but there are plenty of haunting remnants from Boblo Island Amusement Park, which delivered thrills and family fun from 1898 to September 30, 1993. 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). Rochester Hills mom testifies about 2 . Detroit, Windsor and Belle Isle Ferry Company, From 2018: Old Boblo Island boat catches fire at Detroit marina. Why not this man who gave everyone joy in life with their families? Boblo Island is an Island in the Detroit River located directly west of Amherstburg, Ontario, on the Canadian side of the border. 90-year old Captain Bob-Lo greets passengers - 1970s. 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. [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. Ironically, after Canada abolished slavery in 1793, the island became a rest stop for escaped slaves traveling the Underground Railroad. This is the inside of the 1,250 square foot tri-plex home. The rides were sold in 1994, but as we discovered via YouTube, a number of the park's structures still stand on the island. [16] Moodenbaugh later sued Benaroya and others for attempting to sell the park while he lay in a "virtual coma". He was 20 years older than me. Restoration of the Ste Claire had been going on for a few years. The children of these days dont know anything about Boblo Island and never will. 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. Most people just drive their vehicles onto the ferry from Amherstburg and are home in a few minutes. The ferry runs every 20 minutes, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The 1878 Mangels-Illions Carousels 44 horses, two goats, and two deer were sold for more than $1 million. Building the lighthouse on the island instead of the shoal presented several advantages: a shorter tower could be used due to the . 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. 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. "[2] The Michigan Supreme Court fined the company $25 for the discrimination they presented towards Ray. 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. 2023 Detroit Historical Society. Find useful information, the address and the phone number of the local business you are looking for. 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). This amusement park, while once the delight of both kids and adults until the early 90s, has been abandoned for more than two decades. Just read one of the many postcards you can find online from people back in the day. A powerhouse that supplied electricity to the nearby Carousel which is no longer there. Ive always wondered about the island and have wanted to go back. why did boblo island closeconservation international ceo. Is there a safe dock area, in which to leave our boat-(also Draft/depth) info .Is there a dock fee? Parts of that tower still stand. We toured the Ste Claire in 2015 while restoration efforts were ongoing before fire gutted it on July 6, 2018. Such a sad and difficult ending to such a WONDERFUL PLACE. 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.. He previously worked for Ringling Brothers Circus and captivated children with adventurous tales and knock-knock jokes until his retirement in 1974, at the age of 90. Bob-Lo was such a fun place and figures so prominently in many peoples childhood summertime memories! The Columbia is undergoing restoration. The remnants of Boblo Island Amusement Park: My concern with respect to Bob-Lo Island is that what structures are left from the islands very interesting history are not being adequately protected. 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.. The rides were sold to other amusement parks around the country. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. An old silent family home movie of a trip to Boblo Island Amusement Park, no longer existing. Visiters to the marina can visit the small gallery of photographs and paintings of water scenes or rent bikes to explore the island (although what appeared to be the bike rental building was closed on this July Saturday, so perhaps not). In fact, one of those . Boblo Island Amusement Park is an abandoned amusement park which operated from 1898 until its closure on September 30, 1993. 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. In my days they were very comparable although I think Cedar Point was a little larger. Although there was a bike rental business near the marina and Beach House Restaurant on the west side of the island (the ferry dock is on the east side of the island), it was not open for business on the beautiful summer weekend day I was there, so I wouldnt count on being able to rent a bike on the island. An incident in 1902 caused a man-made mini earthquake on the island. Private cottages and government property remained at the north and south ends of the island. It's just a stone's throw from historic Amherstburg, Ontario, which is a 30-minute drive from Windsor. We dont save anything for history any more. Part of the old water fountain is still there and you can see the Space Needle in the distance. The swan paddle boat ride was added in 1970, which became a fan favorite. Over the years, the crowds going to Bob-Lo on the boat would were increasingly loud and rude and some people avoided going to Bob-Lo to avoid the noise. By their very nature, amusement parks are places of fun, relaxation, excitement, and recreation. The island is 2.5 miles long and a half-mile wide - just 272 acres. And I stood and looked across the river, and what I remember is no longer there, and Im 54 years old . The existence of such an organization would certainly be complicated by the facts that 1) Bob-Lo is a Canadian island with an overbearing American past, and 2) today Bob-Lo primarily serves asa retreat for the wealthy, who I can imagine would not want people coming to visit the historical remains there,any more than they would want hunters (although if theyown a cat or a small dog, the latter might be welcome if they could take care of the coyote population). 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. 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. During the 1920s and 1930s, swimming contests were held that went fromBelle Isleto Bob-Lo, covering 24 miles. Boblo's trains made a 20-minute circuit around about 2 miles of track . 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. See all (4) The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Getting to the dock in Detroit early in the morning, the anticipation of boarding the boat, the ride on the river, the views, the fact I could play an arcade game on a boat blew my small mind. For many people the best ride of the day was on the Bob-Lo Boat that took visitors to the island. Visit Boblo.ca for information about living on the island. On that trip, my companions on the Bob-Lo Excursion Line steamer were other ninth graders from Livonias Holmes Junior High. The 16mm film is from around 1960. The British also built a lighthouse in 1836 which operated until 1959. airbnb sarasota downtown; payday 2 infinite equipment mod; conduct unbecoming a police officer examples; randomforestclassifier' object has no attribute estimators_ The beautiful wood flooring should never have been ripped out. "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. When you disembark from the ferry, youfindyourself adjacent to a private very well-to-do residential area. 2,000. Change). Claire, seen in 2016. Bois Blanc Island was where Shawnee Chief Tecumseh, a Native American warrior, decided to place his headquarters during the War of 1812. Boblo was originally named Bois Blanc by the French, but residents couldn't pronounce the name. I agree. You can also visit Boblo.ca. Exploring and discovering those remains is a thrill in its own right. Not fair to blame millionaires when often it is a corporation that can run out money after 5 or 6 bad years. The Bois Blanc Lighthouse built in 1836; its lamp room was destroyed in 1954 when vandals started a fire. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. People from all over Michigan, Canada and from as far away as California, have chosen to make Boblo Island their home. . The cars operated by drawing power from an overhead electric grid unlike the Bumper Boats in use today. The marina on the west side of Boblo Island. Big changes for Sugar Island, good changes-it has made the drinking & partying boating groups unable to overtake the island.It was not safe. . It's located in Amherstburg, Ontario. My husband is from What I remember about Bob-Lo Island specifically, the entrance coming off of the boat, one of the last times I went the Simpsons were the mascots and I met Bart and Homer. After 1796, British interests controlled the island and it was the staging point for the first local action in the War of 1812. Photo courtesy of the Detroit Historical Society. Interestingly, the islands history starts long before the amusement park was even planned. If it wasnt for him to have done that for everyone, our world would never have known how peaceful, relaxing, fun, and most of all memorable a park could be. These people had no clue whatsoever as to the history of Detroit, or of Bob-Lo. We live on the east shore of Grosse Ile, we would love to take our boat to eat at the restaurant. More waterfront dining. It is sad, Cheryl. - Bonnie, Oh! 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). Answer (1 of 2): I have barely recallable memories of POP. Boblo Island, originally names Bois Blanc (White Woods in French) opened as a Park in 1898. Look at Sugar Island.it once was a special place. . Author: Michael R Stoller Jr CC BY-ND 2.0 Though not all is lost. 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.