Robbinsdale Historical Society
Sharing Your Past To Build Our Future
Elim Lutheran Church was founded by 26 charter members in 1922. The first services and Sunday School classes were held in the Robbinsdale Village Hall. In 1924 the congregation broke ground for a church on … Read more
Robbbinsdale boosters built this float for the Minneapolis Industrial Parade in July of 1911. The parade was part of the Minneapolis Civic Celebration was held during the week of July 2 to July 8. The festivities … Read more
Father William H. Blum dedicated Sacred Heart’s little wooden church on Christmas Day in 1911. At that time the Robbinsdale parish was made up of 38 families. In 1914 rectory was built and the church … 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.
In 1954 Father Nolan purchased an old trolley for the playground at Sacred Heart School. These photos come from Father Nolan’s streetcar movie in the Minnesota Streetcar Museum collection. Moving the trolley was quite … Read more
In 1942 a small group of Robbinsdale men went north with he US Army to began construction of the Alaska-Canada Highway. Work crews nicknamed the supply route, “oil can highway” after the discarded fuel drums … Read more
The Robbinsdale Airport opened in 1919, but civilian flying was halted during World War II. In 1942 the Robbinsdale Airport’s 23 planes were organized as part of the Civilian Air Patrol. Most of the … Read more
In the middle of the last century Robbinsdale was the only area suburb with a high school and West Broadway was the only shopping district between Minneapolis and Osseo. In 1961 more than 21,000 were enrolled in the Robbinsdale School District and homecoming was a big event! Mayor Walter J.(Red) Sochacki, who spent many years as the Robbinsdale High School Football and Basketball coach, brought the parade downtown.The tradition held for several decades.
Lee Elementary School on 36th Avenue opened in 1948. Two years later and addition was built. The Adiar Elementary in 1952 alowed the old school on Regent to become a junior high and high school. … Read more