Happy Birthday to the Boblo Boat!

Posted on by farlane

SS Ste Claire – Boblo Boat by Will Jensen

HistoricDetroit.org is one of my favorite follows on Facebook. They share that today is 115th anniversary of the launch of the the Boblo boat Ste. Claire from the Toledo Shipbuilding Co. at Toledo, Ohio, on May 7, 1910.

For generations, she and her older partner in fun times, the Columbia, would ferry Detroiters from downtown to the Boblo Island amusement park Downriver. The two Boblo boats made their final run to Boblo Island on Sept. 2, 1991, and smaller boats were used to transport families to the island until the park closed Sept. 30, 1993. In the meantime, the two steamers – among the last of their kind – were designated as National Historic Landmarks on July 6, 1992, signifying their rarity and importance to American history.

There have been many attempts to save both of the historic vessels over the ensuing decades, including one launched by Dr. Ron Kattoo when he bought the Ste. Claire in 2007. Sadly, on July 6, 2018, the Ste. Claire was completely destroyed by a fire that broke out on board during restoration efforts.

Here’s a shot of the Boblo Boat from back in the day along with another shot of the Ste Claire & the now vanished Joe Louis staircase by Will from his Detroit gallery on Flickr.

Much more about the Steamer Ste Claire and Boblo on Historic Detroit!

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#TBT: The Boblo Boat aka the Ste. Claire

Posted on by farlane

Herbet Jackson and Boblo Boat Ste Claire

Herbert C Jackson and the Bob-Lo Boat, photo by Christopher Dark

One of the Boblo Boats, the Ste. Claire, is shown here at its new berth, where it was moved a couple of weeks ago.

The Ste. Claire Restoration Project’s History page explains:

The steamer Ste. Claire represents the typical propeller-driven excursion steamer of the turn of the century, a type once found in many parts of the country. Excursion steamers are steamships built primarily for passengers for day trips. Ste. Claire and her running mate Columbia represent the “ocean-going” type of excursion vessel although they were used on lakes.

The steamer Columbia and Ste. Claire are the last two remaining classic excursion steamers in the country; and the last essentially unaltered passenger ships designed by Frank E. Kirby; and for their essentially unaltered propulsion machinery of a type becoming increasingly rare ; as the two last vessels of the Detroit and Windsor Ferry Co.; as two of the few surviving vessels built by the Detroit Dry Dock Company, and for their unaltered propulsion machinery, which is of a rare type. Columbia is the oldest passenger steamer in the United States, excepting vessels properly classed as ferries. Columbia and her running-mate Ste. Claire are the last two steamers of their type with integrity left in the United States. The pair shared their original run from Detroit to Bob-Lo Island for 81 years, a record of service on a single run unequalled in U. S. history

There’s a ton of cool stuff on the Boblo Boat website including their media center, plans for the restoration and of course donations!

Christopher got this great shot of the Herbert C Jackson upbound on the Rouge River as she passed the Ste. Claire. Click to view it bigger and see more of his photos on Facebook.

More great night photography and more ships on Michigan in Pictures.