Born in Austria , John Bloberger came to Robbinsdale when he went to work for the railroad in 1894. In the early days of the village, Bloberger served as Village Constable, Street Commissioner, Village Hall Custodian, Chief of Police and one of the first fire chiefs in the state. In those days fires were announced by the bell in the Village Hall. The fire truck often had to be pulled by hand through drifts of snow to reach the other side of the tracks. Bloberger also helped organize Robbinsdale’s Volunteer Fire Department. He was a close friend of Captain Billy Fawcett. The photo below appeared in a 1924 issue of Whiz Bang. Nobody knows who drew the cartoon, but Captain Billy loved to poke fun at Bloberger and made a teasing reference to Robbinsdale’s lone police officer in every issue of his popular magazine. By the time Robbinsdale made the transition from village to city Bloberger’s son, John Bloberger Jr. had followed father’s footsteps into the fledgling Robbinsdale Police Force. John Blogberger passed away at the age of 77 in January, 1940.
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