BLOSSER ISLAND
Amos Peter Blosser, son of Peter and Mary (Reed) Blosser, born June 7, 1854, in Foraker, Indiana and died March 8, 1930, in Goshen, Indiana. He married February 25, 1883, in New Paris, Indiana, to Clara Alice Apple, of Harrison Twp, Elkhart county Indiana. Clara was born in 1864 and died February 17, 1943. They are buried at Violett Cemetery, Goshen, Indiana.
Blosser's Island, was a 3 1/2 acre island when A P Blosser purchased it. It was located opposite his boat landing. He had ideas of what he wanted to do with the island. Picnic resort, swings, hammocks, possibly a pavilion. Gasoline launch to carry 30 to 40 people to and from the Island. There were innumerable springs, bubbling with the clearest and finest water he piped for drinking water.
With the help of the Winona Interurban Railway company his dreams came true. The park was open June 11, 1909. 3000 people went to Blosser's Island, in July of 1910, to attend the W O W picnic. Concert program by the W O W band.
Boating, bathing, baseball park, toboggan slide, band concert pavilion, steam launch, vaudeville theater, skating rink (100 by 40 feet with maple floors), shooting gallery, refreshment stands. They had 25 boats and canoes.
"Captain" Carl Lederer, was the ferry driver. He had been in Kaiser's army in WWI, he suffered from shell shock (PTSD), he repeated everything twice. Whistled at all the girls and always said "20 years a ferryman and never lost a life".
A P, decided to pass the park onto his son, Asher Apple Blosser, (1891-1973), when old age and health issues arose. Around WWII the park closed. Asher tried to reopen after the war. They had a Nickelodeon that furnished music to the island, I guess it was pretty loud, Ed Stoudt petition the island to close. And it did.
Asher sold the island to Island View corporation and moved to FL. Harold A Schrock, local business man and member of the Island View corporation, bought the island. When he married his 2nd wife Betty (Corn) McDonald May 24, 1997, he gave the island to her.. a wedding gift. Betty, died September 14th of that same year, and she left the island to her son and daughter in law. Bill and Karen (Roose) McDonald, who are the present owners. There's not much left of anything on the island except for some cement foundations. It is home now to wildlife and rumor has it the eagle has a nest there....
