Ron Kattoo, owner of SS St. Claire Boblo boat. [Detroit Free Press]
Starting Thursday, Sept. 3, members of the public will be able to board the historic boat and view a museum laid out like a timeline from the opening of the boat in 1910 to the present day, by decade, said Ron Kattoo, the boat’s owner. The museum also showcases the boat’s original steam engine and is set up with photo opportunities.
Kattoo, 58, said the greatest part of his childhood was visiting Boblo Island and said he hopes to bring back good memories for others who grew up going there before the park closed in 1993.
“Hearing people, their stories, and how much they love the boat and that it reminds them of their childhood and times they spent with their mom and dad or their grandparents or vice versa taking their kids to Boblo — that’s what we’re trying to do,” he said.
Boblo Island was established as an entertainment destination on the Canadian Bois Blanc Island in 1898, and the SS Ste. Claire started taking passengers in 1910. The Ste. Claire and its sister boat, the Columbia, which first launched in 1902, spent decades taking passengers from the end of Woodward Avenue to the island about 20 miles down the Detroit River, according to Historic Detroit.
The ships were taken out of commission in 1991 prior to the closing of the Boblo Island amusement park, which saw nearly 800,000 visitors annually from its opening in 1898 to when its port officially closed in September 1993, the Detroit Free Press previously reported.
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