Boblo Island
Wednesday, 12th November 2008 by Ian Brown
This huge pavilion and dance hall is the only remaining structure from Boblo Island Amusement Park in Ontario.
The Amusement Park was open to the public from 1898 until 1993 and through the years it was home to a number of roller coasters, rides, shows and restaurants. The remaining dance hall is about 3300 square metres and for a while had the largest dance floor in the world.
Most visitors reached the island (also known as Bois Blanc) by ferry from Detroit, leading to perhaps the most historically significant development related to the park. In 1948 a US Supreme Court decision upheld the Michigan law preventing corporations from racial discrimination, however the ferry company tried to deny African-Americans passage as the island destination was foreign. The Court eventually decided it was not 'very foreign', being socially and economically closely tied to Michigan, and having no ties to nearby Ontario communities.
A comprehensive history of the park can be found here. Today the island is being developed with luxury housing, a golf course and a marina.
Just to the West of the island is the tree-lined Livingstone Shipping Channel.
The channel was cut through shallow water to provide a safe route for ship traffic heading south to Lake Erie.
Thanks to Kirk Hayhurst who submitted this fairly regularly for the last couple of years!
About the author
Ian Brown lives in Ottawa, Canada, and spends his spare time perusing maps to find new routes to ride on his orange bicycle.
Only remaining structure? According to that article on the history of the park the Sky Tower should still be there, which could be this structure here: https://www.googlesightseeing.com/maps?p=&c=&t=k&hl=en&ll=42.093404,-83.122146&z=19
(I can’t believe I actually read through that article…)
I have fond memories of Boblo Island. I must have gone there at least a dozen times, including one overnight trip with my girl scout troop. It was a rather small park so you could roam around as a kid and not be too far from mom & dad.
To the woman who was looking for information on the Tolsma family of Tolsmaville (Cockburn Island, Lake Huron, Ontario), please contact me. I have the genealogical information on this Tolsma family.
The roller rink, the “sky tower”, the original ferry dock, the marina and much of the sidewalks are still there. So it’s not just the dance hall left.
The development of the island appears to be far behind schedule. Rather than luxury houses, the developer is now offering duplexes, quadplexes and condos. As of yesterday, the vast majority of the development is bare lots, and a significant number of the existing units have for sale signs up. The “next Nantucket”? Doesn’t seem to be. With any luck, this developer will go broke, and the undeveloped land can be turned into a park and nature preserve.