Lost Windsor - Bob-Lo Island, where summer started with a boat ride
Lost Windsor - Bob-Lo Island Remember the boat ride? From 1898 to 1993, summer meant a trip down the Detroit River to the island amusement park off Amherstburg. One Bob-Lo boat, the Columbia, even had a dance floor. What's your Bob-Lo memory?
Topics: Lost Windsor
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Lost Windsor is our fun, nostalgic weekly look at beloved Windsor-Essex places that are gone. Sources are listed below the story. Have a memory of this place? Share it with us.
Tonight's Lost Windsor goes down the river to a place a lot of us still miss: Bob-Lo Island.
What it was
Bob-Lo was the amusement park on Bois Blanc Island, in the Detroit River just off Amherstburg. It opened in 1898 as a picnic park, with ball fields, beaches and a carousel, and over the years it grew into a full midway with a little train that circled the park and roller coasters.
The name grew out of the island's French name, Bois Blanc, which means white wood.
Why people loved it
The boat ride was half the fun. The steamers Columbia, built in 1902, and Ste. Claire, built in 1910, carried crowds down the river to the island for generations. The Columbia had a dance floor on board, so the trip itself was part of the party.
The two boats were retired after the 1991 season.
What's there now
The park closed after the 1993 season, and its rides were sold off. Today the island is a private residential community. At its south end, the 1830s stone lighthouse and wooden blockhouse are a National Historic Site of Canada.
Your turn
Did you ride the Bob-Lo boat, work a summer on the island, or bring your kids? Tell us your favourite memory. We may share some of them in a future Lost Windsor.
