Robbinsdale Historical Society
Sharing Your Past To Build Our Future
1908 The year 1908 was a busy one for Robbinsdale. Many citizens wanted better streetcar service and streetcars, so the village council had many contacts with the Twin City Railway Company and got promises … Read more
1900 Census 520 The first decade of the Twentieth Century was a busy one for our “small town.” A library club was formed. An official volunteer fire department was organized. There was an active Commercial … Read more
1896 The February 22, 1904, issue of the Robbinsdale Park Progress gave tribute to a pioneer, George L. Brimhall, who died on September 17, 1896. In 1876 he purchased a farm of 160 acres on … Read more
1894 In January people in Robbinsdale were advised to arm themselves when traveling on Crystal Lake Avenue to Minneapolis after dark, after B.J. Browning had been held up by robbers while returning home after selling … Read more
In April of 1949, the new fire and police station was formally dedicated. At 2:00 a whistle blew and the firemen marched with the Robbinsdale and Anoka city bands from their old home in back … Read more
Robbinsdale’s Village Hall was originally built for the Village of Crystal in 1888. The dedication ceremonies included a banquet with foods furnished by everyone in town. Forty-seven years later Mrs. Horatio Stillman still remembered the … Read more
What are these guys smiling about? Chas. O. Wallace ( left.) Wallace was Robbinsdale’s first city clerk. He held office from 1938 until 1945. He served as Mayor from 1947 through 1954 and again from 1967 to 1972. The city’s new government offices behind Robin Center were dedicated to Wallace in 1970. John Zenzen (center) probably got to drive the car below . Adrain Mattson(right) served in the Army in World War I. He always kept his tie straight.
The morning of November 11th, 1940 brought with it unseasonably high temperatures. By early afternoon temperatures soared into the 60s. Less than 24 hours later, an intense low pressure system had tracked from the southern … Read more
The Volunteer Fire Department was organized in 1894. Here is a “Bucket Brigade” pictured with the first real fire engine purchased in 1926. An addition to the old Village Hall, built to accommodate the … Read more