Boblo Island Amusement Park
Encyclopedia
Boblo Island Amusement Park was a theme park which ran from 1898 until its closure on September 30, 1993. Its amusement rides were sold in 1994.
The park was located on Bois Blanc Island
, Ontario
. It lies just above the mouth of the Detroit River
. The people of Detroit, Michigan
characterized it as that city's Coney Island
.
ride from Amherstburg, Ontario
, and 18 miles from Detroit. For more than 85 years, the park was serviced by the SS Ste. Clair
and the SS Columbia
ferry boats. The Boblo Island Amusement Park was famous for those two steamers, the "Bob-Lo Boats," which went between Detroit and the island. They could hold over 2,500 passengers each. The ferry boats were sold in January 1996. Other smaller ferries served the park from Amherstburg and Gibraltar, Michigan
, which were located closer to the park on the Detroit River.
, a zoo
, and a carousel
were the signature attractions. To move visitors around the island, the park constructed a small railroad. Henry Ford
financed a dance hall designed and built by Albert Kahn. The dance hall was the second largest in the world, holding 5,000 dancers at full capacity.
. In June 1945, Sarah Elizabeth Ray and twelve other female workers involved in the war effort (and referred to as "girls" during the legal proceedings) took part in a sponsored trip to Boblo Island. Ray was removed from the boat because she was not white, enforced according to a Bob-Lo company policy "excluding so-called 'Zoot-suiters
,' the rowdyish, the rough, and the boisterous, and it also adopted the policy of excluding colored." The company had claimed it could exclude her because it was a private concern operating in another country; the United States Supreme Court affirmed the Michigan Supreme Court, which had upheld the jurisdiction of the state's anti-discrimination provisions.
The park was located on Bois Blanc Island
Bois Blanc Island (Ontario)
Bois Blanc Island, commonly called Boblo Island, is an island in the Detroit River located directly west of Amherstburg, Ontario in the Detroit River, on the Canadian side of the border...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. It lies just above the mouth of the Detroit River
Detroit River
The Detroit River is a strait in the Great Lakes system. The name comes from the French Rivière du Détroit, which translates literally as "River of the Strait". The Detroit River has served an important role in the history of Detroit and is one of the busiest waterways in the world. The river...
. The people of Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
characterized it as that city's Coney Island
Coney Island
Coney Island is a peninsula and beach on the Atlantic Ocean in southern Brooklyn, New York, United States. The site was formerly an outer barrier island, but became partially connected to the mainland by landfill....
.
Bob-Lo Boats
The island is a five-minute ferryFerry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
ride from Amherstburg, Ontario
Amherstburg, Ontario
Amherstburg is a Canadian town near the mouth of the Detroit River in Essex County, Ontario. It is approximately south of the U.S...
, and 18 miles from Detroit. For more than 85 years, the park was serviced by the SS Ste. Clair
Ste. Claire (passenger steamboat)
SS Ste. Claire is a steamship located in River Rouge, Michigan that was formerly located in Detroit, Michigan. It was declared a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 1992.The ship was designed by Frank E. Kirby, who also designed the SS Columbia....
and the SS Columbia
SS Columbia
The SS Columbia is one of two remaining excursion steamships from the turn of the 20th century in existence, the second being her running mate, and sister ship the SS Ste. Claire. Both were designed by Frank E. Kirby and Louis O. Keil...
ferry boats. The Boblo Island Amusement Park was famous for those two steamers, the "Bob-Lo Boats," which went between Detroit and the island. They could hold over 2,500 passengers each. The ferry boats were sold in January 1996. Other smaller ferries served the park from Amherstburg and Gibraltar, Michigan
Gibraltar, Michigan
Gibraltar is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,656 at the 2010 census. It is located on the Detroit River directly south of, and adjacent to, Trenton.-Geography:...
, which were located closer to the park on the Detroit River.
Attractions
The Nightmare, Falling Star, Wild Mouse, Sky Streak, and Screamer rides, a Ferris wheelFerris wheel
A Ferris wheel is a nonbuilding structure consisting of a rotating upright wheel with passenger cars attached to the rim in such a way that as the wheel turns, the cars are kept upright, usually by gravity.Some of the largest and most modern Ferris wheels have cars mounted on...
, a zoo
Zoo
A zoological garden, zoological park, menagerie, or zoo is a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they may also be bred....
, and a carousel
Carousel
A carousel , or merry-go-round, is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders...
were the signature attractions. To move visitors around the island, the park constructed a small railroad. Henry Ford
Henry Ford
Henry Ford was an American industrialist, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry...
financed a dance hall designed and built by Albert Kahn. The dance hall was the second largest in the world, holding 5,000 dancers at full capacity.
Bob-Lo Excursion Co. v. Michigan
The State of Michigan brought a racial discrimination case, Bob-Lo Excursion Co. v. Michigan, against the operators of the ferry service. The case reached the U.S. Supreme Court and resulted in a notable 1948 decision construing the scope of the commerce clauseCommerce Clause
The Commerce Clause is an enumerated power listed in the United States Constitution . The clause states that the United States Congress shall have power "To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes." Courts and commentators have tended to...
. In June 1945, Sarah Elizabeth Ray and twelve other female workers involved in the war effort (and referred to as "girls" during the legal proceedings) took part in a sponsored trip to Boblo Island. Ray was removed from the boat because she was not white, enforced according to a Bob-Lo company policy "excluding so-called 'Zoot-suiters
Zoot suit
A zoot suit is a suit with high-waisted, wide-legged, tight-cuffed, pegged trousers, and a long coat with wide lapels and wide padded shoulders. This style of clothing was popularized by African Americans, Mexican-Americans, and Italian Americans during the late 1930s and the 1940s...
,' the rowdyish, the rough, and the boisterous, and it also adopted the policy of excluding colored." The company had claimed it could exclude her because it was a private concern operating in another country; the United States Supreme Court affirmed the Michigan Supreme Court, which had upheld the jurisdiction of the state's anti-discrimination provisions.