1901
County commissioners paid contractor, D.J. Falvey $150 dollars per mile to build a new bike path between Robbinsdale and Champlin, 10 miles to the north. Arctic explorer Charles E.S. Burch spent two months in Robbinsdale experimenting with a triple expansion steam engines and a rotary skate and screw mechanism. Burch hoped his “Automobile Sleigh” allow him to reach the North Pole. Burch won fame exploring the Yukon Territory and Alaska in 1897. The experiments in Robbinsdale were conducted in order to ascertain the necessary horsepower needed to propel the screws. Articles in the Minneapolis Journal and the Minneapolis Tribune reported that Burch and all those associated with him were greatly pleased with the uniform success of their results on the Crystal Lake. Burch was awarded a patent for what he called an “Ice Locomotive.” in 1901. He later filed his patent for the “Automobile Sleigh” (see image above) on June 20, 1907.
1902
John Ruble became the railway mail clerk and served over thirty years. In the early years he sorted mail using kerosene lanterns for light. He also served on the school board and was a Justice of the Peace for 14 years. In October, Miss Mary A. Russ, 90 years of age returned to her room after a few moments absence and found that a thief had entered and stole her purse. She found the man in the closet and without a moments hesitation she demanded that the purse in all of its contents be returned to her. The man delivered the property to her and escaped before an officer could be summoned.
1903
Thomas Girling was elected to the State Legislature and stopped his activities as editor. On December 16, 1903, a new paper, Robbinsdale Park Progress edited by A.S. McMillan, an ardent Robbinsdale booster,
This post is part of a series based on the book Robbinsdale Then and Now by Helen Blodgett.