Boblo Island History

An island beyond the postcard

Boblo was an amusement park, but Bois Blanc Island has a much longer history. The island lies in Ontario, Canada, near the Detroit River’s meeting with Lake Erie. Indigenous communities, French missions, military structures, and river navigation precede the park chapter. Read the island’s chronology.

The amusement park opened in 1898 and closed after the 1993 season. Its story belongs to both sides of the river: the destination was Canadian, while generations of visitors remember the voyage from Detroit. The former park is not an operating amusement park today.

The trip was part of the destination

For many visitors, the boats are inseparable from the memory. Columbia and Ste. Claire carried excursion passengers to the island; the classic boat service ended in 1991. The dance floor, the river breeze, and the changing shoreline are part of the story alongside the rides. Bob-Lo Island history.

Watch this HLC film on YouTube

Continue into Great Lakes ships and shipping to place the excursion boats within a broader waterfront history. A vessel can carry freight, passengers, celebration, and conflict—sometimes in the same lifetime.

Whose memories were welcome?

In 1945, Sarah Elizabeth Ray was removed from the Columbia because she was Black. She challenged that discrimination with the NAACP. The resulting Bob-Lo case reached the U.S. Supreme Court in 1948. Learn about Sarah Elizabeth Ray and read the historic court record.

Remembering Boblo fully means holding joyful family stories alongside the struggle over who could make those memories. Continue with Detroit civil-rights history for Ray, Rosa Parks, and the neighborhoods behind the headlines.

Help keep the island’s stories

A ticket stub, photograph, employee badge, home movie, or carefully identified memory can add something a park timeline cannot. When sharing, include who appears, an approximate date, and how you know the place. Say what you remember directly and what was passed down to you.