Boblo Island: Detroit's Beloved Amusement Park on the River

For generations of Detroit kids, summer meant one thing: the boat to Boblo Island.

The Island

Bois Blanc Island — Boblo to everyone who loved it — sits in the Detroit River just north of the Canadian border, about 18 miles south of downtown Detroit. An amusement park operated there from 1898 to 1993, making it one of the longest-running parks in American history. But what made Boblo truly special wasn't the rides. It was the journey.

Getting to Boblo meant boarding one of two magnificent steamboats — the SS Columbia or the SS Ste. Claire — at the downtown Detroit docks. The boats were grand old vessels, built in the early 20th century, with dance floors and live music and the whole Detroit skyline receding behind you as you headed downriver. The trip was part of the experience. By the time you arrived at the island, you were already having the best day of the summer.

The End

Boblo Island closed in 1993 as attendance declined and the cost of maintaining the aging park became unsustainable. The steamboats were sold. The rides were auctioned off. The island was eventually developed into a residential community. The SS Columbia survived and became a subject of preservation efforts for years.

For anyone who grew up in metro Detroit, Boblo Island is one of those places that lives permanently in memory — the smell of the river, the sound of the boat's horn, the feeling of a perfect summer day.

The Boblo Island Detroit Retro T-shirt keeps the memory alive. Find it in the Detroit collection.