Robbinsdale’s historical connection to Breezy Point, Minnesota dates back to the days of Whiz Bang. In 1919, Wilford Hamilton Fawcett, better known as “Captain Billy,” published the first issue of Captain Billy’s Whiz Bang. Filled with jokes and cartoons, the little magazine made a fortune for Fawcett. In 1921, he purchased 80 acres on the shore of Big Pelican Lake near Brainerd, Minnesota, and built a bluff-top village of cabins. The following year, as Fawcett Publications brought out True Confessions magazine, construction began on the Breezy Point Lodge. This magnificent log structure featured a ballroom, casino, billiard room, and bowling alley. After Fawcett’s untimely death in 1940, the resort was closed until the end of World War II. When Breezy Point reopened, Minnesota families returned in droves. After a fire destroyed the main lodge in 1959, Breezy Point was rebuilt and reimagined by Hollywood entertainer Ginny Simms. The legendary resort has grown and changed over the years, but Fawcett’s vision and adventurous spirit are still soaring above Big Pelican Lake and the piney woods of Breezy Point.
Join Pete Richie for a Breezy Point Presentation and Book Signing at the next Robbinsdale Historical Society Membership Meeting, March 22nd from 1:00 to 3:00pm.
The Robbinsdale Historical Society is located in the historic Robbinsdale Library at at 4915 42nd Avenue North in Robbinsdale. This event will be held in the Art Gallery half of the building. Parking is available on city streets and just across the BNSF tracks. Refreshments will be provided. Call (763) 202-3529 for directions or click here for an interactive map and contact information.
Images of America
Breezy Point
By Peter James Ward Richie
ISBN: 781467114882
$21.99 | 128 pages | paperback
The book is available at The Robbinsdale Historical Society, Barnes and Noble, Amazon, The Breezy Point Gift Shop, and better retailers all over the Twin Cities and Brainerd Lakes Area. E-Books are available in nook and kindle formats.
Author Pete Richie grew up memorizing jokes from Captain Billy’s Whiz Bang. His previous book, Images of America: Robbinsdale, showcased Whiz Bang’s hometown. This volume draws on the photographic collection of Captain Billy’s historic Breezy Point Resort, the City of Breezy Point, and the Crow Wing County Historical Society.
Next meeting is at the Old Library Building Tuesday, May 24 at 1:00. Our program will be the “Robbinsdale” video that was made by channel 12. It is very well spoken of and worth the 45 minutes it takes to view it. Coffee, cookies and conversation after the show, see you there!