Boblo Island now boasts deluxe houses and condos, valued from $184,000 to $1.15 million, with walk-out basements and turreted views of the Detroit River. It's located in Amherstburg, Ontario. 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. Windsor Mayor Arthur John Reaume wanted the island to be designated a National Park. [6] In February 1992, the park was put up for sale for US$9 million, half of its 1988 purchase price, though it committed to opening it for that summer. 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. I know had I been related to this man, I would have kept his memory alive. The island is owned nearly in its entirety by Windsor developer Dominic Amicone through his Bob-Lo Island development company. The park closed in 1993 as a result of poor management and attendance was shrinking because of other parks like Cedar Point. How to get to toronto island park? We were participating in a totally sanctioned, transportation-provided-by-the-school-district Ninth-Grade Skip Day. We would have boarded either the Ste. Soon after this, the British obtained the surrender of the American fort in Detroit without a shot being fired. I agree with Maureen. 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. The ferry is a short four minute ride to the island. Exploring and discovering those remains is a thrill in its own right. Most people just drive their vehicles onto the ferry from Amherstburg and are home in a few minutes. All rights reserved (About Us). . 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.. It's just a stone's throw from historic Amherstburg, Ontario, which is a 30-minute drive from Windsor. There is a dock at the restaurant on the island, Sue. Bois Blanc Island, commonly called Boblo Island, is an island in the Detroit River on the Canadian side of the border and is part of Amherstburg Skip to content Menu The far end of the island is now all luxury homes. Only about a third of a milea 5 to 10-minute walk, depending on your speedfrom the ferry dock on the west side of the island, east on Bob-Lo Island Boulevard, to the marina on the other side of the narrow island. Over the years, the park began to decline and wane in popularity. How I recall the fun times of going to Bob-Lo, with my sisters and brother. I can only imagine the dangers of the dilapidated buildings, to say nothing of concerns about strangers. How to get to Boblo Island: This is the structure that once housed the Boblo Island Amusement Park bumper cars. If you need help with the Public File, call (313) 222-0566. You can also visit Boblo.ca. [2] So when we went to the Island, we took a cab to the downtown docks to catch the first boat out and then we would return on the last boat. Bring a bike or plan to hike as the only streets to accommodate cars are in the development. Theme parks, like Lake Shawnee Park in West Virginia, closed down after guests died at the park. What a shame, all gone because some mega millionaires wanted more money. Plant life around the old Space Needle observation tower. Gone are the roller coasters, but there are plenty of. The island was also an important stop on the Underground Railroad to Canada, which worked to help escaped slaves leave the country. Boblo Island became the headquarters for the Shawnee Chief Tecumseh during the War of 1812. Our world today, especially with the pandemic, needs what we all once had back in this society. Feb 11, 2022 - One of my favorite memories as a child. For full functionality of this site it is necessary to enable JavaScript. "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. The remnants of Boblo Island Amusement Park: 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. In the distance is a building featuring dozens of condos. Boblo Island looks much different today, and if developers reach their goals, it will be almost unrecognizable to past thrill-seekers. Thank you again!! The little that remains of the park is covered with vegetation or has been demolished. Action Park in New Jersey is known as the most dangerous amusement park in the country, six people passed away from 1980 to 1987. Loved going to Bob-Lo as a kid. The island features many new homes and plenty of land to build on. That is what the park was supposed to be about. The British also built a lighthouse in 1836 which operated until 1959. People from all over Michigan, Canada and from as far away as California, have chosen to make Boblo Island their home. One of those blockhouses remains, and is open for touring. 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). Once the island closed, the boats sat abandoned for years. One of the oldest structures on the island was vandalized in 1954, with vandals setting fire to the top of the 1837 lighthouse, destroying the upper structure. Boats are docked in the Boblo Island Marina, located on the western shore of the island. Boblo (or Bob-Lo) sparks memories for many adults who. I believe the unfortunate combination of being a Canadian island with almost all American history is the reason its not being cherished by people in Canada. Claire or the Columbia, but no cellphone cameras documented that embarkation and carrying a Kodak Instamatic simply would not have been cool. [24] The island was off limits to non-residents until 2002. 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. I remember the log ride, where we''d all get wet but would soon dry out running about, the carousel, and of course the roller coaster. Today, We take a look at the history and destiny of an iconic Detroit Metro Area former amusement park; Bob-Lo Island. The island has quite an interesting history. Bois Blanc Island, former site of the Bob-Lo Island amusement park, is located at southern endof the DetroitRiver before it enters Lake Erie,and is about one-half mile wide and three miles long. The scion of one of Seattle's wealthiest and most philanthropic families, Benaroya was bankrolling Moodenbaugh's dream to resurrect the Boblo Island Amusement Park near Detroit. I would bring back the lost souls and add life to the island again. Its a wonderful feeling strolling the island, standing next to buildings where 10s of thousands of souls now long departed use to frequent. The passageway still exists showing Gilbraltar, Michigan to the left and Amherstburg, Ontario to the right. 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. 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. The middle section of the island was developed as a park. The steamers, the Ste. The homes come with all appliances. More than a century later, in the 1920s, the amusement park opened on the sitethen closed in 1966 after the accidental deaths of two young patrons, including one on the spooky circular swing. - LJ. Wild grapevine has made it to the second floor balcony of the gallery. 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. In 1949, the island was threatened by bankruptcy. Boblo Island was very special. By each step it became more clear that this was left for dead a long time ago. The ferry is run for the island residents, their guests, and prospective buyers of lots in the Triamico Development Affiliates marina resort community. However, there is a public restaurant, the Bob-Lo Island Beach House, on the west side of the island by the marina (ferry docks at the east side). Its amusement rides were sold in 1994. Residents of the small community live among acres and acres of nature, just steps from water. I wish that the people that bought this island could restore it. 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). This thrilling park closed its doors for good in 1981, but not before providing visitors with decades of fun. Finally, A young entrepreneur who successfully turned around a floundering amusement park in suburban Seattle bought Bob-Lo hoping to turn it around. A retreat for the wealthy, amidst dilapidated remnants of history and ghosts of the past, with nature ever encroaching. The only other way to get to the island is to dock a private boat. http://bit.ly/2cIo6Ny. 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