Building Boundaries

While Andrew B. Robbins began platting and developing subdivisions in the 1890s before racial covenants became common, restrictive clauses began appearing in Robbinsdale around 1915. They became widespread in the 1920s. These covenants were written … Read more

Robbinsdale Schools on Regent

There’s a the ten-acre tract along Regent Avenue near 42nd Avenue that was, for more than a century, the educational heart of Robbinsdale. The story begins in 1889, when Andrew Bonney Robbins, George L. Brimhall, … Read more

To Whiz Bang and Beyond!

Let’s tell the tale of Captain Billy Fawcett, whose unlikely publishing empire began in Robbinsdale and eventually reached national and international prominence. Born Wilford Hamilton Fawcett in Canada in 1885, Fawcett was restless from an … Read more

Fly Robin Fly

The Robbinsdale Airport operated from 1919 until the end of World War II on land that is now largely Welcome Park and surrounding area. The airport became an important center of early aviation, attracting pioneer … Read more

Saloons, Sundays and Someplace Else

Robbinsdale’s early history with alcohol was shaped by its location just outside Minneapolis. When Minneapolis closed its saloons on Sundays in 1905, crowds poured into Robbinsdale, turning the village into a destination for drinking and … Read more

Wrestling out of Robbinsdale

In the second half of the last century, Robbinsdale became an unlikely epicenter for professional wrestling talent, beginning with foundational icons like Verne Gagne and Larry Hennig. Gagne, who attended high school in Robbinsdale before … Read more

Rich and Creamy Robbinsdale

 Robbinsdale’s dairy history is tied closely to its early development as a working-class suburb on the edge of Minneapolis, where nearby farms, creameries, and milk routes were just part of everyday life. One of the … Read more

All Dressed up in 1926

ROBBINSDALE GROWS WHILE WAITING FOR REINCORPORATION Making Big Strides Despite Handicap—Becoming One of Important Communities TAX RATE IS CUT AS IMPROVEMENTS GO IN Robbinsdale, a residential suburb bordering the northwest city limits of Minneapolis on … Read more