Lost - BobLo Island Amusement Park - Its Life Story

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Today, We take a look at the history and destiny of an iconic Detroit Metro Area former amusement park; Bob-Lo Island. The abandoned amusement park was a popular local summertime destination for millions of Detroiters from 1898 to 1993 and then closed down and faded away with little evidence it was ever there. We examine the history and fate of Bob-Lo Island and its roller coasters and attractions in this MagnaLume Films' documentary.

Officially, the park opened to the public in June of 1898 with the ferry named ‘Promise” bringing guests which included the Detroit Newsboys group to the park from Detroit. The park was so well received during its first year of operation that the company began to purchase more of the island and install additional facilities. These improvements attracted even more park-goers which allowed the company to eventually purchase all but a small portion of the rest of the island.
In 1905, the park installed one of its iconic attractions; The Carousel. It was a 48-animal carousel built in 1878. The Carousel opened to the public in 1906 and great enhanced the popularity of the park.
In the first decade of the new century, increasing profits from the park would see the ferry company buy three new steam-powered ferries that could accommodate up to 2,500 passengers each:
The "Columbia" in 1902"
The Britannia" in 1906 and the
The “Ste. Claire" in 1910

All of the ships had dance floors and beer gardens on separate decks and was a great way to set your spirits soaring and start and end your Bob-Lo Island adventure. They were important parts of the Bob-Lo experience. The "Columbia" and The "Ste. Claire” were in service for almost 85 years until the close of the park in 1991; 2 years before the park closed for good. The ships were unique in their appearance and were Detroit icons for decades and even appeared in local area TV commercials for other businesses and brands.
Occasionally the ferries were even used as tour boats a various times where people would pay to go on excursions that didn’t go to the park at all. People would board the ships in Detroit and go on party cruises up and down the Detroit River and Lake St. Clair.
Although no annual attendance figures are available, the part steadily grew in size, attraction quantity and profits in the early to mid-20th century. As the auto industry grew and prospered so too did the fortunes of Bob-Lo Island. It became a summertime ritual to go to the park at least once every season for many Detroit area families.
The park even had its own brand emissary in the form of a character named ‘Captain Bob-Lo”. … But of course he would be named that…
Captain Bob-Lo was portrayed by an appropriately named man; Joe Short. Mr. Short was a former circus clown and was small in physical stature standing only 4’1” and traveled on the ships entertaining passengers of all ages. He wore a variety of colorful clothing, including a large hat with 'Captain Bob Lo' on the peak, and was typically equipped with binoculars for navigation purposes. He previously worked for Ringling Brothers Circus and captivated children with adventurous tales and knock-knock jokes until his retirement in 1974, at the age of 90. After the boats docked at night back in Detroit, Mr. Short continued entertaining at the local bars and taverns he frequented. Short passed away on Dec. 20, 1974 at the age of 91. .. I think I would have enjoyed the tavern appearances by ole Capn Bob-Lo…
The park passed through the hands of numerous owners over the years who kept the Bob-Lo party kept going strong throughout most the 20th century. The park added more and more rides added and was a serious competitor to other regional amusement parks such as Cedar Point in Sandusky Ohio, Geauga Lake and Six Flags Ohio.
So.. What happened??
Starting the 1960’s, the addition of many new rides also created elevated injury risks and occurrences for ride operators and park guests. Many reports of injuries and at least 1 death in 1965 caused by bad ride design, faulty or improperly maintained equipment, poor operator training, and general inattentiveness.
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Americana - Aspiring by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
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MagnaLume Films 2018

00:00 Intro

02:32 Area History

03:49 Island History

06:51 Ships

08:02 Heyday

09:39 Decline & Closure

13:00 Outro