Our Little Boomtown
1889 Mr. Robbins’ second business in Robbinsdale was a street car factory. It was near the car barn on Hubbard Avenue. The new factory began work on October 15, 1889, and by December 19, … Read more
Businesses
Anton Wolf’s Hotel
1870 The population of Crystal Lake township was 718. Besides farming, a few industries developed. The first was a shingle mill at Shingle Creek, built in 1852 (everyone needed shingles!) and then a flour mill … Read more
Olson’s Grocery Then and Now
Olson’s Grocery on Yates was one of at least seven little corner stores nestled in Robbinsdale’s sleepy neighborhoods. Back before anybody ever heard of Hy-Vee, Rainbow, or Red Owl these were the places Mom sent … Read more
A Swift Postcard
Born in Boston in 1848, George Swift came to Minnesota with his parents. At the age of 13, Swift enlisted as a drummer boy at Fort Snelling. During the War Between the States … Read more
More Than Just a Barber!
O.T. (Otto) Beaudoin, pictured here with Frank Dillenberg in 1937, was born in Quebec in 1871. He came to Robbinsdale in 1927. Beaudoin operated two barbershops in town and was in business for over thirty … Read more