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All Canada Ontario Amherstburg Boblo Island Abandoned Amusement Park

Boblo Island Abandoned Amusement Park

An abandoned Victorian-era amusement park is rusting away amidst luxury houses.

Amherstburg, Ontario

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paulmwumich
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The ramp up to the Space Needle observation deck on Boblo Island.   Michael R Stoller Jr/CC BY-ND 2.0
The passageway to the docks from the amusement park.   Michael R Stoller Jr/CC BY-ND 2.0
A weighing machine on Boblo Island.   Andrea_44/CC BY 2.0
Boblo Island’s log flume ride in 1973.   Joe Clark/Public Domain
Captain Bob-Lo, an entertainer aboard the SS Ste. Clair in 1973.   Joe Clark/Public Domain
Paint peeling off the walls of a Boblo Island warehouse.   Nitram242/CC BY 2.0
The Boblo Island dance hall in 1913.   Valentine and Sons United Publishing Company/Public Domain
The passageway to the amusement park from the Boblo Island docks.   Michael R Stoller Jr/CC BY-ND 2.0
A rusting dock on Boblo Island.   Michael R Stoller Jr/CC BY-ND 3.0
A vintage poster advertising the Boblo boats which would take you to “Detroit’s Pleasure Island.”   el cajon yacht club/CC BY 2.0
An overgrown mini-golf course.   Michael R Stoller Jr/CC BY-ND 2.0
“Welcome to Boblo Island.”   mandj98/CC BY 2.0
An unused rowboat on the shores of Boblo Island.   Michael R Stoller Jr/CC BY-ND 2.0
An abandoned building on Boblo Island.   Michael R Stoller Jr/CC BY-ND 2.0
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About

Ontario's Bois Blanc Island, frequently abbreviated as "Boblo Island" opened its amusement park in 1898. With whirling rides, organ music, and brightly glowing lights, it attracted thousands to the shores of the little island to revel in wholesome fun.

For almost 100 years it was only accessible by classic steam-powered riverboats: The SS Ste. Clair and SS Columbia brought passengers from Detroit, each boat could bring up to 2,500 visitors at a time. Smaller ferries brought visitors from nearby Amhertsberg, Ontario and Gibraltar, Michigan.

The dance hall, financed by Henry Ford, was once the second largest in the world and capable of holding 5,000 dancers. It also featured one of the world's largest orchestrions, an automated self-playing orchestra machine, which features 419 pipes and its very own percussion section. There were also big band nights, which drew "black and tans," multiracial crowds of young people during the 1920s.

Attractions included rides such as the Nightmare, the Wild Mouse, and the Screamer as well as a Ferris wheel, a zoo, and the popular "Scootaboats." Needless to say, the amusement park brought joy to all those who visited. Detroiters even referred to Boblo Island as "the Coney Island of Michigan."

But the old-fashioned charm of Boblo Island was eclipsed by more modern attractions like Cedar Point in its later decades, leading it to close its gates for good in 1993. Since the amusement park's closure, Boblo Island has been renovated for luxury homes. Though many of the amusement park structures have been torn down, you might still hear a passing shriek and the tinkle of organ music amidst the remaining century-old ruins of Boblo Island.

Related Tags

Amusement Parks Abandoned Amusement Parks Abandoned Victorian

Know Before You Go

As it is an abandoned park, it is not recommended that any trespassing laws be broken trying to get in. If one is a boater or has access to a kayak, floating by the island may be the best way to see Boblo. Many guests have tried to enter the ferry but have been told the island is "closed to the public."

Community Contributors

Added By

paulmwumich

Edited By

Molly McBride Jacobson, markfheil, calebmienar

  • Molly McBride Jacobson
  • markfheil
  • calebmienar

Published

November 30, 2016

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Sources
  • http://www.mlive.com/travel/index.ssf/2016/08/these_are_the_eerie_remnants_o.html#0
  • https://web.archive.org/web/20090306190952/http://apps.detnews.com/apps/history/index.php?id=6
  • https://web.archive.org/web/20090104010201/http://apps.detnews.com/apps/history/index.php?id=87
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boblo_Island_Amusement_Park#cite_note-timeline-1
  • http://www.mlive.com/travel/index.ssf/2016/08/this_is_what_life_is_like_on_b.html
Boblo Island Abandoned Amusement Park
Bois Blanc Island
Amherstburg, Ontario
Canada
42.093089, -83.120666
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