Commerce

The Ruff Bros. Grocery

Jerome F. Ruff grew up on his family’s farm on Fish Lake in Maple Grove. He graduated from De La Salle High School in Minneapolis and attended St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota. Along with … Read more

A Picturesque Village

“Soon after the creation of Robbinsdale the Car Shops and the Hubbard Manufacturing Company were destroyed by fire and Robbinsdale again became purely residential.” “Some boisterous characters who frequently drive through Robbinsdale on Sunday on … Read more

The End of an Era

1982 The month of January had record snowfalls of 17.1 and 18.5 inches. To. gether with the April 20 snowfall, we had 95 inches of snow compared with the yearly average of 45 inches. As … Read more

Wrestling, Cats and Dogs

1972 The Robbinsdale City Council asked the Metropolitan Transit Commission to study the feasibility of a minibus system linking West Broadway, Robin Center and 36th and France. A 10 cent fare was proposed. The minibus … Read more

Robin Center

1955 Easy to Shop… Easy to Park… Robin Center Hits the Mark! This year, Robin Center, a large addition to shopping facilities, opened. The swamp had been considered “unbuildable” and had reverted to the state … Read more

A Terrific Theatre

1951 The Terrace Theatre opened on May 25th, 1951. The Mid-Century Modern building designed by the architectural firm of Liebenberg & Kaplan, for movie house owners, Sydney and William Volk, won national acclaim from newspapers, … Read more

The Hollisters

1945 The U.S. Navy assigned the name “The Hollisters” to a 2,200 ton destroyer in honor of three gallant Robbinsdale brothers lost in World War II. Lyle Eugene Hollister, Radioman Second Class, served in the … Read more

Bring on the Whiz Bang

1919 The Security Bank was incorporated December 16, 1918, opening for business January 16, 1919, in the same one-story building which had housed its predecessors, two banks which were once described by Mrs. Stillman as … Read more

Trouble with a capital “T”

1909   Perly Malbon was a mail carrier for many years. As the train slowed down, mail bags were tossed off, piled into a cart and pushed a block to the post office for sorting. … Read more