A couple of views of Albert Kahn’s Pavilion. Other than the rust on the facade, it appears to still be in great shape.
One of the washroom buildings.
Ruins of the Mini-Golf course.
The view you would get leaving the ferry and entering the park
The ruins of the fountain just outside the ferry tunnel.
The entrance to the ferry docks. Two choices: Amherstburg or Gibraltar.
A few final views of the bumper car house.
Big thanks to AB for sending along these photos.
What, no talk of the California tunnel explosion on the weekend?? 28+ vehicle collision with one truck exploding, involving 3 deaths and many injured and deadly black smoke everywhere and oven fires up to 1000 degrees, The walls of the tunnel shattered to the steel girders and it’s unstable and may be shut down for weeks. And, the Windsor Star had the article hidden with a very little info in Monday’s Paper on page C8 (even though it was front page news) so most citizens wouldn’t even take notice. Yet, King Frances charges ahead with wanting to waste our tax dollars and endanger our lives with the 3.8km Greenlink tunnel. What about when the same the happens here?? With our drivers, that tunnel is a real hazard. The Star posted nothing about the accident and talked on today’s front page like it was the best thing in the world. Don’t bite the hand that feeds you, right?? Mayor should resign. Read more about it here: http://themayorofmonmouth.blogspot.com/2007/10/windsor-star-gremlins-banish-firey.html
David,
What on earth does the California fire have to do with Boblo? Other local blogs are covering the California crash, this one is not. Please try and keep to the topic at hand.
It is so crazy to see pictures of the current state of the island. I had only been there a couple times myself. I really think if a major theme park company took the initiative, they could make alot of money at Boblo. I know it’s not very big but they could still rebuild another mid-sized theme park. It would just take a bigger company like Six Flag or Paramount to put the money into it.
Josh, with Boblo’s enviable geographic location, it’s beyond my comprehension how the amusement park managed to go out of business in the first place. With the right investors behind it, you’d think nothing could topple Boblo.
According to a local article, 1949 was the first time the park ran into financial trouble. And it seems from the late ’70s onward, things just went downhill. A quick look at Cedar Point’s Wiki entry list of super rides the park introduced in the ’60s and ’70s give a good indication what Boblo was up against (Corkscrew, Gemini, etc).
Thanks to Andrew and AB for all the info and pics. I had no idea there was so much neglected historical buildings on the island, and it’s a shame these buildings aren’t more accessible for exploring and viewing.
These are great. I wish AB had more.
That’s a pretty big project that’s planned for the island, according to the website http://www.boblo.ca It appears to include some re-use of exsisting buildings. Anyone have any idea how far along the new project actually is?
Personally, I blame cable tv and Atari for Boblo’s demise. After all, why would kids go to an amusement park for fun when they could stay home all day, play Space Invaders and learn how to make babies?
Ahh there’s something fascinatingly temporal about seeing shots of ruined buildings/locations. I’d rather see a ruined building sitting alone than it be fixed up and covered with vinyl or stucco. Those mini golf pics hit the spot. I’ve always been thrilled at viewing photos from ruined locations like the site of Staglag Luft III (the Great Escape) in Poland, or even the Chernobyl “Dead Zone”. I love Windsor’s share of that sorta stuff, Brighton Beach is an eerie area. Nothing like urban exploration!
Stalag Luft III:
http://www.elsham.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/gt_esc/modern_photos.html
Chernobyl “Dead Zone”
http://www.kiddofspeed.com/chapter1.html
Thanks Andrew
I’m glad you all found these pics interesting … what I gave Andrew was the bulk of the pics that were on the camera… I have a few others, but they didnt really show any actual buildings, or were just different angles of what was posted here (ie a few more shots of the golf course ruins, pieces of the track from the old car ride, the lighthouse) … what I should have taken some pics of were the million dollar cookie-cutter mansions that occupy the north end of the island … lots of properties for sale there : )
The houses on the north end are all promoted to be designed inn a ‘Nantucket’ theme ( I guess the ‘merkins really like it) and last week theres news of a new yacht club to be built on the island in a ‘Muskoka’ theme. I dont really agree that we need to be importing other ‘themes’ to our area already rich in heritage. Why do they do that? Don’t we have our own vernacular? If this themed construction continues the island will be a theme park once again before long. A little Nantucket here, a litlle mission style there, a little artdeco over there……
Douglasm, the building of the McMansions has slowed to a cralw due to low interest and the economy.
As for reviving Bob-lo, the boats alone were expensive to run (insurance, pain in the neck for people to get to the park) and put the park behind the 8-ball compared to other parks where you just drive up and enter.
AB> What was your excuse for being on the island? Or did you just sneak off? Were you harassed or left to wander alone?
I actually made a couple trips to the island this year … towards the back of the island is a marina and restaurant where you can park your boat, which is how I got on. Generally the island is off limits to non-residents, but they allow visitors to the restaurant (and I’m sure prosepctive home buyers are welcome too). That was my excuse at least if I ever got asked why I was there … as for walking around, there wasn’t really much staff/security presence, just the boblo island patrol car that makes the rounds. Despite the few hundred or so people that live there (just an estimate), it resembles more of a ghost town than a gated community in my opinion
Thanks.
Most Gate Communities resemble ghost town’s anyway. Everybody living inside, behind closed garages, paranoid and scared of each other and the outside world — coming and going in their cars.
I’m just so sad that my grandchildren won’t be able to experience all the fun that BOB-LO supplied to all of us growing up. W e used to look forward to going there on Sundays. It was our weekly treat. I tell my grandchildren about it all the time.
lots of memories there, so sad it closed up, always crowded when I went there, how did they go broke indeed!! quick ride from papoose to another world, sad sad sad
I used to go there all the time from Amersburg. It was a very big fun part of my childhood. I remember missing the last boat and camping out on the beach on the back side of the island. After that we made it a plan to camp and party there. I remember the rotor! sickest I,ve ever been from a ride. My brother laughed at me all day. I guess for those of us that made it there while it was it still hooping keeps it special.
When I was there the sky tower was not there. We used to stop in on our own boat and stay overnight in the marina. I used to get up early in the morning before the park opened and walk around. We used to go quite often so I got to know some of the workers. I remember one year the operator of the carousel let me inside and work the lever. I have old broshures on the park but none show a big slide. I seem to remember a slide. And yes, I got sick on the rotor too.
I have fond memories of my teenage years spent working on the island. Getting on the papoose to take the trip over. Dodging coolers and strollers on a Saturday so we could get through the tunnel and on the boat to punch in. On very busy days they would put the paddle boat in service and we would all panic at the thought of being late.
Great times. Would love to take my son over and see what is left, we talk about it but even seeing the sites would make it more real. Think I still have my ID card in a little box, we were supposed to turn them in at the end of the season but think I kept one.
The probable reason for Boblos end was the operaters did not want to or could not put the money into it. The location was good surrounded by a large population, easy acses from Amherstbug and Gibralter, and the big boats from Detroit, the trip from Detroit was a greatouting by its selfh. The last operater had great ideas, but not enough money.
Ceder Point succeds because of constant upgrades and big prommotions, the key to succes.
Does the demise of Boblo correlate with the ascension fo Detroit’s foul-mouthed, racist mayor, Coleman Young?
I do not see any connection between Detroit city government and private operators of a theme park.It was owned for a long time by the Browning company, then sold to Triple A, then to the last operator with good ideas, and lack of cash.
Coleman may have hand in many things but I do not think Boblo, was one.
I was just telling my grandson about Boblo and how I wish he could have experienced the fun of it. I took his Dad and his brother to Boblo often when they were kids. It was always a special outing. Those days hold very precious memories for me and my sons.
In NO WAY, SHAPE, or FORM should their be ANY private homes on Boblo Island. Period! Before it was an amusement park people use to visit this island for picnics and pony rides and from there came idea of build the island up for entertainment. The grand hall at one time was the largest indoor facility of any kind in the world, we were all told, on that island train ride. Let’s face it, Cedar Point killed Boblo. Their rides are far more exciting to ride. The companies that owned and operated Boblo only did so half heartedly. Think of all the new rides Cedar Point gets almost it seems every year. Boblo on the other hand almost never did. It was a great place to work for the summer and the yearend parties were killer.
Boblo was an amazing place to go when I was a teenager. My church youth group would go a few times a year and itw as affordable and fun. We even had a summer youth group I would hang out with because I had a single mother and she worked and wanted us in a constructive summer situation. It was through Novi Community and we went there 2 times a month during the week and it was a BLAST!! I wish I could take my kids out there and I wish the island had a historical tour or something like that to be able to go think about what was and remember a key part of my teenage years! So sad!!
There are a multitude of good sites about Boblo. Try ‘Closed Canadian Parks’ (it was a Canadian property); there are great pictures of Boblo now and lots of captions explaining what the ruins are.
Apparently one of the big reasons for Boblo failing was the number of accidents that caused the park to be referred to as unsafe. None of those old rides were really ‘safe’ by todays standards and some were old when they were installed at Boblo.