~boblo island

[mrknowitall]

anybody go? wow i miss that place.....they had the best corndogs.

who sat on my hat?

[GR_Urbanist]

anybody go? wow i miss that place.....they had the best corndogs.

who sat on my hat?

My family went in 1985. Too bad it rained most of the day.

The hat sitting? Not I!

[twoshort]

anybody go? wow i miss that place.....they had the best corndogs.

Name rings a bell.. perhaps I went when i was too young to remember.

[GRDadof3]

They used to have a very catchy tune. How did that go again..... oh yeah, "round and round and up and down we goooo again.......blah blah blah.........Boblo time is here"

It was an amusement park in Detroit, Mike.

[GR1]

For those of you who don't "knowitall" here's a little background info: Here and here

Interesting:

Think this is the same building as this:

This is the Albert Kahn Dance Pavilion that was on the island, and it's still there.

[Rizzo]

Is this some secret Street Talk? Grand Rapids getting a 500 foot skyscraper?!

[twoshort]

It was an amusement park in Detroit, Mike.

haha, I know..

[tobias]

We used to go there once a summer when I was a kid. Of course the best part was simply getting to the Island. They had some great old steam driven boats to ferry people back and forth. You could go to the middle of the boat and look into the engine room... smell the oil... feel the heat.... see the moving parts... that was the greatest thing...

[BarGal]

I spent many summer days there...it was a blast! At one time there was talk of building condos there, but apparently that hasn't happened yet...

Per Wikipedia:

"Bois Blanc Island, commonly called Boblo Island, is an island in the Detroit River on the Canada side of the border. The island is about 2 miles (3 km) long and located directly west of Amherstburg, Ontario. The main shipping channel of the St. Lawrence Seaway (currently for north-bound ships) lies between Bois Blanc Island and the Amherstburg mainland. The island is approximately 200 acres in size.

Fort Amherstburg (now Fort Malden) was built in 1796 to replace Detroit for the British. Guns from the fort could reach the island, hence secure the Detroit River.

'Bois Blanc means White Woods, a name derived from the many birch trees in the area. It is known as Boblo Island due to the Boblo mining company which owned the island for years.

It was formerly the home of the Boblo Amusement Park, which began operation in 1898 and closed for good at the end of the day on 30 September 1993.

Today

The island is currently a private "resort" island in receivership due to unpaid bills to many creditors, including the Town of Amherstburg. The island is served by a private ferry."

[Sunlover38]

Wow, what a blast from the past . . .went there once several years ago for some car racing thing . . .mostly just drank a lot of beer! haha

What's happening over there or is this just for reminiscing?

[fluffy]

Wow, I do remember that place! I never got to go there, but I do remember the ads!

I thought it closed a lot earlier than 93.

[eyestosee]

anybody go? wow i miss that place.....they had the best corndogs.

who sat on my hat?

lololol...you are correct. I love the corndogs, or perhaps it was my age.

[hood]

Wow, what a blast from the past . . .went there once several years ago for some car racing thing . . .mostly just drank a lot of beer! haha

What's happening over there or is this just for reminiscing?

Your probably thinking of Bell Isle, they have an Indy race every year.

Too bad they had to close Boblo, I never got a chance to go but it seems like it would do good business, theres not a whole lot to do in Detroit when it come to real destinations.

[Sunlover38]

Your probably thinking of Bell Isle, they have an Indy race every year.

LOL . . .must have been all that beer . . .don't even know where I was . . .

[GR1]

Looks like the Boblo boat is going to be restored.

[Veloise]

Looks like the Boblo boat is going to be restored.

[allbusiness]

Here she is -- built in 1910.

Courtesy: Historical Collection of the Great Lakes at Bowling Green State University.

[mpchicago]

Not to be snarky as GRDad would say, but dosen't this topic belong in the Detroit or Michigan sections? What does this have to do with GR development? Interesting nontheless.

[Veloise]

Not to be snarky as GRDad would say, but dosen't this topic belong in the Detroit or Michigan sections? What does this have to do with GR development? Interesting nontheless.

[mpchicago]

You'll be singing a different tune when the St Clair shows up at the Coast Guard Festival. (I'll buy ya a Faygo.)

[Veloise]

Rock and Rye?

[Ka3kab]

I love Fayo.

[fiest from the window]

i thought this was a dream as a kid-