Boblo Island is accessible by a 16-car ferry that departs from the dock next to the Bob-Lo Island Discovery Centre, which is at 340 Dalhousie St., Amherstburg, ON. (LogOut/ So sad. Its amusement rides were sold in 1994. 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? Gone are the roller coasters, but there are plenty of. 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. 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.. If youre interested, check out Patrick Livingstons book Summer Dreams: The Story of Bob-Lo Island, published by Wayne State University Press in 2008. 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. In a sentence, I think, the world around POP changed. The cars operated by drawing power from an overhead electric grid unlike the Bumper Boats in use today. (Emily Rose Bennett | MLive.com). It had e. 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. 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 north side of Boblo is a growing private community, with numerous homes and condominiums. Why did Pacific Ocean Park in Santa Monica, California fail? Plant life around the old Space Needle observation tower. Yes, Kathy, the Bob-Lo Island Beach House Restaurant is an easy walk. St. Clair Shores (1950-60s) & never went to the park. I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Boblo Island: A History Of The Abandoned Amusement Park Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Mike! Restoration of the Ste Claire had been going on for a few years. 1960 - A Day Trip to Boblo Island Amusement Park - YouTube 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. Did you work on both the SS Ste. 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. . The ferrys were known as "Bob-Lo Boats" and held about 2,500 passengers each. What Occupation Did The Boblo Boat Workers Have? The Detroit river is very short - it merely connects Lake Huron with Lake Erie. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Wild grapevine has made it to the second floor balcony of the gallery. Colorful adirondack chairs surround a campfire pit near Captain Bob's. 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 . Anyone remember how much fun the dance floor was and how beautiful the boats were. [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. Although Boblo Island Beach House is pretty good. Other islands Ivevisited have their own historical societies or have joined with other nearby islands to form a historical society: Johnson Island Preservation Society, Lake Erie Islands Historical Society, St. Clair Flats Historical Society, Beaver Island Historical Society, the Grosse Ile Historical Society, and Friends of Bell Isle (now a part ofthe newBelle Isle Conservancy). | 5401 Woodward, Detroit, MI 48202. Whatever happened to Boblo Island? (Detroit, Grosse Ile: amusement Over the roughly two-and-a-half decades that have passed since the closure, many of the most telltale signs of the park have faded away, including the ultra spooky-looking ferry boats that used to. A street sign shows people where they are as they arrive on the island. It broke my heart to see the way everything looks these days. [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. Boblo Island closed for essentially the same reasons as many other urban amusement parks closed. ), Thank you so much for the great information. The Columbia's ship keeper, Sam Buchanan, said the St. Clair has "a prominent role" in. 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). Abandoned Boblo Island Amusement Park | FREAKTOGRAPHY 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. The ship, docked at Riverside Marina on the Detroit River, caught fire after 11 a.m. on. 2022-09-26. The name of the island was changed to Boblo in 1929 when visitors had problems correctly pronouncing the original French name. 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. Today the community on this island is known as the Marina Resort Community. Bayview Mackinac Thread | Page 7 | Sailing Anarchy Forums YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. On the far side of the ride, people wait in line. 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. wayne hills high school marching band; code postal ariana borj louzir; homes for sale on cary drive auburn, al Boblo boat fire caused by spark from welding - WXYZ Though not all is lost. Claire, which used to take passengers to Boblo Island, sits on the Detroit River in August 2015. Rochester Hills mom testifies about 2 . Copyright 2019 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved. After the boats docked at night back in Detroit, Mr. Short continued entertaining at the local bars and taverns he frequented.[33]. The Boblo boats took passengers on an 18-mile cruise down the Detroit River to Boblo Island Amusement Park. I can still feel the sun and the wind as one of the great boats took us to the Island. why did boblo island close - wanderingbakya.com Unclaimed. Detroit Publishing Co via the Library of Congress, This appears to be the SS Columbia Boblo Boat, which was built in 1902, Ferry dock on Boblo Island - between 1890 and 1901. 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.
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