Ruins of Boblo Island

**DetroitPlanner** · November-14-10, 11:03 PM

Originally Posted by grumpyoldlady

I remember taking the train ride around the island and seeing an old log cabin. Any info on that cabin?

There are mentions of this above. Scan for Blockhouse or Block House.

**Khartoum** · November-15-10, 06:48 AM

It's better than the countless parents who plop their infant down in front of Kate & Jon Plus Eight. Then again, I guess the world needs more octomoms...

**Meddle** · November-15-10, 07:24 AM

What is that in the lower right corner, condos or an apartment building or something else?

**slick** · November-15-10, 11:01 AM

The thing that pisses me off about this city is that, everything we have something great like Boblo, people don't appreciate what we got until its gone.

Claude G,

The city did not own Boblo, I believe it was a private amusement park. AAA owned it in the 90s and tried to make it a go. BUT, Cedar Point was taking their business away and they just did not have much in the way of new rides.

**DetroitPlanner** · November-15-10, 01:46 PM

Originally Posted by Meddle

What is that in the lower right corner, condos or an apartment building or something else?

Thats my house. I need the space to park all of my cars. Besides the additional impervious surface running off into the lake makes my heart a little lighter and my days filled with sunshine. [[sarcasm)

I would suspect that is a community center of some sorts. I have heard they have a restraunt on the island, but thought it was associated with the marina.

**Gistok** · November-15-10, 03:44 PM

Originally Posted by GOAT

Dan those were blockhouses that had connectios to Fort Malden. I believe they were built in the 1830s-1840s. They were used against the Fenian raids in the 1860s and 1870s. ONe is still in existence while the other one has been turned into a house.

I wonder if they were built as a result of the "54:40 Or Fight" era.... when tensions between the USA and Canada/Britain were high over the exact western lattitude boundary between USA and Canada back in the mid 19th Century.

**WaCoTS** · November-17-10, 04:43 PM

another one i found:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LW1IO...layer_embedded

**marcwigle** · November-17-10, 05:29 PM

Originally Posted by slick

Claude G,

The city did not own Boblo, I believe it was a private amusement park. AAA owned it in the 90s and tried to make it a go. BUT, Cedar Point was taking their business away and they just did not have much in the way of new rides.

It's also not in the same country... it's a Canadian island. From what I read a few years ago, gangs from Detroit were amajor problem on the Boblo boats as well.

**marcwigle** · November-17-10, 05:35 PM

Originally Posted by DetroitPlanner

Thats my house. I need the space to park all of my cars. Besides the additional impervious surface running off into the lake makes my heart a little lighter and my days filled with sunshine. [[sarcasm)

I would suspect that is a community center of some sorts. I have heard they have a restraunt on the island, but thought it was associated with the marina.

It's a condo building. The restaurant is on the other side of the island.

Have a look at the Google map here: http://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&exp...-8&sa=N&tab=wl

And have a gander at the *cough* house at the far north-east end of the island... the one with it's own private bay.

**pgn421** · November-17-10, 05:43 PM

The Brownings from Grosse Pointe used to own Bob Lo

**grumpyoldlady** · February-20-12, 03:32 PM

I remember that building! You could see it when you took the train ride around the island. I always wondered about what it had been used for and how old it was. Is it still there???

**mikeg19** · February-20-12, 05:22 PM

My favorite, and only memory to be honest, of Boblo was the train ride. I was probably 6 or 7 the last time I was there. It seemed like the boat ride took all day just to get there. What's the status of the housing on the island. Besides what is on it currently, had the economic downturn pretty much decimated any demand to live on there, or have any new homes been added in the past couple years? It seems like it would be quite a cool place to grow up as a child. You could probably find a lot of cool old stuff on the island.

**Wheels** · February-20-12, 05:53 PM

Boblo Island was in Canada. I was pulled out of line to get on the boat ride home by customs. What an embarrassment with my friends. Can you imagine now you would have to have your passport with you. What a pain that would be.

**RaumVogel** · March-10-15, 03:10 AM

A few of the cool vids I just ran across:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LW1IOXtdLx

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbRp7a9YoUY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrg_K3e7uyk

http://archive.freep.com/article/201...at-development

**Hermod** · March-10-15, 05:35 AM

Originally Posted by marcwigle

It's also not in the same country... it's a Canadian island. From what I read a few years ago, gangs from Detroit were amajor problem on the Boblo boats as well.

They also were a factor in the demise of the demise of Jefferson Beach, Edgewater, and Walled Lake amusement parks [[the old "end-of-the-line" trolley parks). Eastwood Park went under before they were a problem.

**bailey** · March-10-15, 10:35 AM

I get that Boblo itself couldn't make a go of it when Cedar Point and Kings Island pretty much define the region's amusement parks, but it's just such a shame that the St Clair and Columbia couldn't be saved for some other use. I went to boblo at least a few times a summer in elementary and middle school for outings. I barely remember the park, what I remember was the boat ride. It's tragic that instead of [[at least) one of those two incredible, historic vessels we have a faux, totally out of place, former casino river boat tied up downtown.

**G-DDT** · March-10-15, 05:22 PM

Yup, every other summer vacation was to Boblo. The Boat ride was half the trip [[the dance area always seemed way too loud to me as a kid). I think I braved my first roller coaster there.

**G-DDT** · March-10-15, 05:25 PM

I think it was this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFSp5ucjeos

**CassTechGrad** · March-12-15, 09:32 AM

I'll never forget all those warm summer days when I sailed to Boblo Island with my family in the 1950's and 60's. It was a wonderful place back then. During the week it was $0.50 for kids, round trip!!

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Name: Bob-Lo Island.jpg
Views: 1896
Size: 80.0 KB

**Ltdave** · March-12-15, 10:59 AM

My family went there a couple of times. While I enjoyed the ride down, it took too long to travel back upstream at night....

We weren't rich by any stretch of the imagination and I always felt so terribly guilty about having to purchase ride tickets IN ADDITION to the cost of the boat ride, my dad had to practically beg me to go on the rides. We had been to Cedar Point once before and I remember entry got you on the amusements. Not so for Boblo....

**Midnight Rambler** · March-17-15, 01:55 AM

Originally Posted by Swimmaven

Maybe the kid will grow up to an architect with a feel for old style materials.

Or a scrapper.

**Django** · March-18-15, 08:32 PM

I am so jealous of you all that have been there when it was open. My parents talked about taking us there around 82 but it never happened. I hope to get there someday somehow to at least check out whats left.BTW, doesnt look like the baby was in any danger. At the most Dad took a little risk filming.

**mikefmich** · March-19-15, 08:11 AM

A ride to Bob-Lo happened every summer for me as a kid. 6 generations of my family were on that island, I wish I coulda taken my grandkids there, and showed them the ballroom where their great-grandparents danced often while courting in the 30's.