Welcome to Robbinsdale Revisited, a new podcast connecting you with local history all the way back to the 1850s. Here you’ll find the stories that tell the tale of our city. These episodes explore neighborhoods, schools, organizations, businesses, and a colorful cast of characters from the past.
Episodes will be available here and you’ll be able to find them on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart , Podbean, and wherever fine podcasts are found.
It is the mission of the Robbinsdale Historical Society to collect, preserve, and tell the story of Robbinsdale. This podcast will shed light on the history of the streetcar suburb Andrew B. Robbins dreamed up so long ago.
The Robbinsdale Revisited podcast was created by Pete Richie and Crystal Boyd.
Theme music courtesy of Gabe Barnett and them Rounders.
Many Thanks to CCX Media and Adam Estrem for production help and support.
The Setting and the Shape
Episode 1: Robbinsdale Historical Society president Pete Richie kicks off our first episode. We discussed the Robbinsdale Historical Society, its projects, museum, and mission before beginning our story in the 1850s.
Not Named for a Bird
Episode 2: Robbinsdale grew up in the 20th century, but with the old neighborhoods and the little main street on West Broadway, it still feels like a small town. These days, the Andrew B. Robbins name has been all but forgotten. In a metropolitan area with suburbs with names like Golden Valley, Richfield, and Eden Prairie, most people think our city was named for a bird.
Bring on the Whiz Bang
Episode 3: The 1920s brought big changes to Robbinsdale. Women bobbed their hair and shortened their skirts. Whiz Bang magazine was started by Captain Billy shortly after he got out of the army. It was full of jokes for sailors and soldiers. It made no pretenses at being ‘literary’, but it tried hard to “give the boys a kick in every line.” The magazine defined the fun of the era and launched a publishing empire.
Roaring Robbinsdale
Episode 4: Robbinsdale had an unprecedented building boom in the 1920s. The population of the little village swelled to just under 5,000 souls. Robbinsdale got a public water supply. Gas stoves were replacing the old iron wood stoves. and gas furnaces began replacing coal furnaces. Times were looking up, and people thought it would last forever.
Here Comes the High School
Episode 5: Our dream of a high school in Robbinsdale came true in 1935, when the federal government’s Public Works Administration (PWA) program added $135,000 to the $124,000 approved by taxpayers for construction. Ground was broken in March 1936, and the building was dedicated with impressive ceremonies on May 19, 1937.
During the Depression
Episode 6: This decade will be remembered for the Great Depression; the WPA (Works Progress Administration); the PWA (Public Works Administration); highway construction, the development of our own wells for water; and a strong spirit of “helpfulness to others.” On November 7, 1938, the vote to change from a village to a city was approved. On December 8, 1938, at 8:00 p.m., the new charter was officially adopted, and the City of Robbinsdale was born.
The Blizzard and the Beltline
Episode 7: The Armistice Day Blizzard brought over 16 inches of snow to downtown Robbinsdale and crippled transportation throughout the region. The decade of the “forties” will never be forgotten because of World War II. Local events included the opening of a hospital in Robbinsdale, municipal liquor, and the opening of Lee Elementary School.
Call of the Cootie
Episode 8: In this episode, we dive in with the Gause brothers, fly high with the Robbinsdale Civil Air Patrol, and tell the remarkable tale of Herb Schaper, the game of Cootie, and Schaper Manufacturing.
Robbinsdale or Riverdale?
Episode 9: Nestled into the rolling hills north and west of Minneapolis, the City of Robbinsdale slept soundly through the first half of the twentieth century. In the years following World War II, residents of the little bedroom community woke up to a building boom. During the 1940s and 50s, Robbinsdale added over 10,000 souls. Inside the city’s three square miles, houses, schools, and shopping centers appeared overnight.
Filling in Fabulous
Episode 10: In 1956, enrollment in our schools soared and 1400 kindergartners made triple shifts necessary. A new Robbinsdale Senior High School opened at Toledo and 37th Avenues. The old high school on Regent became Robbinsdale Junior High, and our School District 24 was changed to School District 281. 1957 was the first year the school district’s budget climbed over a million dollars.
Soaring into the 60s
Episode 11: The 1960s were a time of rock and roll, rebellion and sweeping change all over the country and right here in Robbinsdale. The school district kept building out to provide for the baby boom and Robbinsdale reached peak population.
Breaking Ground
Episode 12: Milo M. Mielke, who retires as principal of Robbinsdale High School after 39 years, arriving in 1929 when enrollment stood at 900 and retiring in 1968 as it surpassed 20,000. The era saw heated debates over school curriculum alongside voter approval of an $11.5 million bond issue. Robbinsdale Historical Society board member Dave West, Class of 1968, shares his memories and we reflect on civic growth in the 60s.
Parking Ramps and Playgrounds
Episode 13: The 1970s brought both loss and renewal to Robbinsdale, as beloved institutions closed while new civic investments strengthened the community. Growth and change were reflected in the demolition of the historic Parker School and the expansion of Robbinsdale Junior High. The decade also saw social progress, including Heidi Houck breaking barriers in Little League baseball. For many children, it was an era of wide-ranging freedom, adventure, and unsupervised exploration throughout the neighborhood.
Wrestling Their Way out of Robbinsdale
Episode 14: Before Robbinsdale knew it was a wrestling town, it was a town of kids reenacting wrestling in backyards and playgrounds, where someone was always the villain, someone always won the belt, and wrestling somehow already mattered. That sense of toughness was forged at Robbinsdale High School, home to one of Minnesota’s hardest wrestling programs and the training ground for Verne Gagne, whose success and founding of the AWA helped turn the town into a wrestling pipeline. From Larry Hennig and Curt “Mr. Perfect” Hennig to Rick Rude, Barry Darsow, Madusa, and many others, Robbinsdale proved that those childhood matches sometimes grew into legends—and a whole lot of flying elbows.
Revisiting Robbinsdale with Kathryn Leigh Scott, Part 1
Episode 15: Kathryn Leigh Scott grew up on a farm in Robbinsdale when the city still felt rural, shaped by Norwegian immigrant parents, strong community values, and an early encouragement of creativity. At Robbinsdale High School, her talents in writing and performance stood out, setting the stage for a leap from small-town Minnesota to New York City and a life in the arts. She gained national fame as Maggie Evans on Dark Shadows, launching a career that spanned acting, writing, and publishing. Despite decades of success, Scott continues to credit Robbinsdale as the foundation of everything that followed.
Revisiting Robbinsdale with Kathryn Leigh Scott, Part 2
Episode 16: In this second part, multi-faceted storyteller Kathryn Leigh Scott discusses her pivotal role in restoring the legacy of Coya Knutson, Minnesota’s first congresswoman, through biography and historic reunions. Beyond her acting and publishing career, Scott reflects on her own roots in the Robbinsdale and Minneapolis area, sharing how a community-focused upbringing shaped her lifelong passion for preservation. Ultimately, the conversation explores the importance of saving endangered history, from political reputations to landmark buildings, before the human stories behind them are lost.
Girling Gets Things Going
Episode 17: Lou Ambrose lives in her grandfather Thomas Herbert Girling’s 1917 home on Crystal Lake. In this episode she shares stories of his life. Born in Nottingham, England, in 1865, Girling got things going in the early days of Robbinsdale. Through Lou’s memories, we explore shifting shorelines, deep roots, and the history we drive by every day.
Lou Looks Back
Episode 18: In this episode, we’re heading back to Sacred Heart, where Lou Ambrose remembers the overwhelming presence of the legendary Father Nolan. We walk through 1960s Robbinsdale, recalling creaky wooden floors at the Ben Franklin. Getting a dress and a guitar from Monkey Wards. Terrace Dairy treats and the lost pond of Sleepy Hollow.
Whiz Bang Boyhoods
Episode 19: Pete swaps stories with Ron Johnson, Adam Fesenmaier, and Jimmy Swan as they revisit the chaotic fun of growing up in Robbinsdale in the 1970s and ’80s. Climb aboard and let these guys give you a buck through the years of box hockey, Brookdale, and basement kegs. Their memories capture a rough-and-tumble, unsupervised era, right around the corner in Robbinsdale.
Glenwood Hills
Episode 20: Crystal traces the rise and fall of Golden Valley’s Glenwood Hills Hospital, from its beginnings as a pioneering psychiatric facility to its expansion into a full-service hospital and eventual closure. Nestled in the woods between secluded lakes and parkland, the hospital felt more like a retreat than an institution. Our story highlights changing approaches to mental health care, the hospital’s role in the community, and the property’s later redevelopment into housing and other medical sites.
Loving Our Library
Episode 21: Founded by a determined group of women in 1907, the Robbinsdale Library began as donated books in borrowed storefronts and grew into a beautiful Tudor-revival building in 1926. Under librarians like Frances Pollard, the library became a bright, neighborly hub for reading, events, and fundraising traditions. After decades of service the branch closed in 1976, but the building was preserved, placed on the National Register, and repurposed as the Robin Gallery and home to the Robbinsdale Historical Society. Today it celebrates a century of community memory and continued public use.