Boblo Island was very special. Boblo Island was an amusement park that was at one time larger than Cedar Point. The non-French residents called it Boblo, and the name was officially accepted in 1949. Given that the island was known as the Boblo Island Amusement Park from 1898 1993, Id say, overall, it was a pretty successful run. The case reached the U.S. Supreme Court and resulted in a notable 1948 decision construing the scope of the commerce clause. View TODAY's New Listings by beds, baths, lot size, listing status, days on market, & more! To get to Bob-Lo Islandin the 21st century, you takea ferry from Amherstburg, Ontario, instead of from the old dock on Jefferson Avenuein Detroit. Bois Blanc Island, Pointe Aux Pins, MI 49775 +1 231-634-7100 + Add website + Add hours. I wish that the people that bought this island could restore it. http://bit.ly/2cIo6Ny. Its a wonderful feeling strolling the island, standing next to buildings where 10s of thousands of souls now long departed use to frequent. The restaurants 2013 grand opening was May 24th. An old silent family home movie of a trip to Boblo Island Amusement Park, no longer existing. The Columbia's ship keeper, Sam Buchanan, said the St. Clair has "a prominent role" in. [16] Moodenbaugh later sued Benaroya and others for attempting to sell the park while he lay in a "virtual coma". St. Clair Shores (1950-60s) & never went to the park. Each held about 2,500 passengers. Answer: 90% of the time, it's because the parks don't have enough money and/or business to keep up with running costs, and the parks simply close and are left to rot. It was in a time when the parents didn''t have to worry about the children. There are just two ways in and out of the island. How to live on Boblo Island: The living space of the Deerview twin villas. You know what I think, I have never been over there. If the boat looks familiar, it is not your imagination. Nessel calls on DTE, Consumers to issue automatic power outage credits after storm. The classic boats stopped running in 1991 and the amusement park was shuttered after the 1993 season. It closed for good in 1993, 25 years ago. DETROIT Say the name "Boblo" to anyone who grew up around Michigan, and their eyes will light up. FOX 2 Detroit (WJBK) - The name 'Boblo' came back recently after a massive fire destroyed an iconic ferry that used to take people to and from the now closed island amusement park. Clair and the SS Columbia. You can also visit Boblo.ca. What Occupation Did The Boblo Boat Workers Have? 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. "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. Our world today, especially with the pandemic, needs what we all once had back in this society. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Mike! The park, which. The park's coasters and rides were sold following its closing in 1993, but there are intriguing remnants. People quit coming in the 1980s, then the money for upkeep is not there. Both doors are were chain locked. Departing from the foot of Woodward Avenue, whereHart Plazais now, theColumbiaandSte. Yes, Kathy, the Bob-Lo Island Beach House Restaurant is an easy walk. There is a dock at the restaurant on the island, Sue. There are two total bedrooms in this home. When was the last time yousailed down the Detroit River toBob-Lo Island, to summertime? It was one of the most popular places to dance in the 1920s. The Browning Family sold the island in 1979, which led to several owners in the following years, including IBC and AAA of Michigan. [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). Boblo (or Bob-Lo) sparks memories for many adults who spent summers riding the ferry to Boblo Island, visiting its amusement park or just enjoying a picnic. It's sister boat, the Columbia, was built in 1902. Look at Sugar Island.it once was a special place. Once a landmark amusement park, Boblo Island is ready to essentially triple its current population through a new. 'Boblo Boats: A Detroit Ferry Tale' is a new documentary, created by Aaron Shillinger, that tell the tale of Dr. Ron Kattoo, who is on a mission to restore the SS. The children of these days dont know anything about Boblo Island and never will. The best time was 8 hours and 42 minutes turned in by 17-year old Dorothy de Caussin and 15-year old Ida Mutnick, both of Detroit. By their very nature, amusement parks are places of fun, relaxation, excitement, and recreation. A tennis court sits next to a home on the island. Each historical society serves as a bead on a rosary linking current and future generations to the past, acts as a tool to support prayers of keeping the memories alive, keeps a link to the human roots of a distinctive place that has meant many things to many people over the years. $19 million in debt, John's brother Randy forced Boblo Island into court-appointed receivership in 2004. For visitors based in Detroit, it was about 30 kilometers away and could be reached by ferry. . The north side of Boblo is a growing private community, with numerous homes and condominiums. Its amusement rides were sold in 1994. Residents of the small community live among acres and acres of nature, just steps from water. About Boblo Island Amusement Park: You can still see the words "Boblo Island" on the Space Needle, 25 years after the park's closing. What remains of the boat after the fire is currently docked at Riverside Marina in Detroit. A woman leans against the fence in the foreground to take a picture of the ride. 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.. 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. Update: A couple of them were partially restored and used during the filming ofTransformers 4. An estimated 30,000 people passed through the island on their way to freedom. Author: Michael R Stoller Jr CC BY-ND 2.0 Though not all is lost. There are no hotels. The price is around $500k. The swan paddle boat ride was added in 1970, which became a fan favorite. 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. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. When did Boblo boat stop running? The restaurant is open to residents and visitors Thursday through Sunday. Boblo Island is an Island in the Detroit River located directly west of Amherstburg, Ontario, on the Canadian side of the border. After coming aboard, visitors could look down from the main deck into the engine room, where powerful shafts and cams slowly warmed up. What a wonderful goal, Andrew! . Although Boblo Island Beach House is pretty good. They are 1,405 square feet with a full basement. 2,000. Courtesy of the Detroit Historical Society, Photographer Joe Clark. Claire was engulfed in an accidental fire while docked on the Detroit River on July 6, 2018. The first thing I did when I got back home was to search for a Bob-Lo Historical Society on the Internet. The Carousel Building, built in 1905 to house the first amusement ride on Bob-Lo Island, served as a convention hall and later, the roller-skating rink (beginning with the 1940 season) before ending up as a theater. Quite disappointing that we never went back, management was doing a terrible job. The park has been closed since 1993, but the legend of Boblo is still strong. They transformed the island into an amusement park, including a coaster, Ferris wheel, fun house and more. Click here to take a moment and familiarize yourself with our Community Guidelines. So sad. One reason is competition from larger theme parks. By each step it became more clear that this was left for dead a long time ago. But there is new life on the island 23 years after the closing of the amusement park. It is a story told in a new movie that premiered last week in Detroit called "Boblo Boats: A Detroit Ferry Tale". Sue Cicala. People from all over Michigan, Canada and from as far away as California, have chosen to make Boblo Island their home. . The SS Ste. 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 is private property and the doors are chain locked. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. 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. Today the community on this island is known as the Marina Resort Community. Captain Bob's Ice Cream & Coffee Cabin is located on the western shore of Boblo Island, and is open for residents and visitors from Thursday through Sunday. Bleacher seating remains intact in the abandoned theater. The park was located on Bois Blanc Island, Ontario. Ferry passengers could be going to the island to patronize the restaurant. To the north of the road leading from the ferry dock is a subdivision ofmini-mansions and duplexes, with an emphasis on stone and heavy on Victorian-style turrets. I enjoyed BobLo so much as a child-we boarded the boats in Wyandotte. Bring a bike or plan to hike as the only streets to accommodate cars are in the development. 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. This is the remnants of an old putt-putt golf course. You can also see the large stage and the curtain with big holes in it. OBSCURIST TOURIST 025 - Boblo Island Amusement Park is an abandoned amusement park which operated from 1898 until its closure on September 30, 1993. The 1991, the boats ceased their 81-year run, and the park closed in 1993. 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. Would love to know more about your experience working on the Bob-Lo boats. Check out recent photos from one of the Boblo boats. Why not this man who gave everyone joy in life with their families? I am only 12. Its amusement rides were sold in 1994. Review. Boblo closed for good in September 1993. Instead, the island and steamships were purchased by the Browning family. All Rights Reserved. Sq.Ft. . During the Rebellion of 1837, "patriots" from the U.S. invaded the island in 1838. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. In this respect, today, Bob-Lo Island appears a bead broken off from the strand, adrift in more than just the Detroi River, its historic integrity drowned in the current of a sequence of ill-fated development schemes. I was just in Amherstburg Sunday May 27,2013. 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. 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. Copyright 2023 ClickOnDetroit.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. 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. 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). Bois Blanc Island, French for White Woods Island, was named on account of its numerous white-barked birch and beech trees, and is today commonly known as Boblo Island, an English corruption of the original name. Peaking through the windows, you can see it's being used for storage. Soon after this, the British obtained the surrender of the American fort in Detroit without a shot being fired. In its early years, [1] Henry Ford financed a dance hall that was rumored to have been designed and built by famed Detroit architect Albert Kahn,[31] but was later determined to have been designed by John Scott. [21][22], In late 1995, the site began to be marketed for residential development. Here are some of the homes and what life is like on Boblo Island today. These homes are 1,250 square feet on the sides, 1,625 in the middle.
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