Before 1905, the settlement now known as Robertsdale was little more than a bevy of cypress ponds, fertile farmland, lumber and timber operations. Then, the Southern Plantation Corp. of Chicago, selected the site for a town. The decision was largely made because this mid-Baldwin County community was situated along the Louisville and Nashville (L&N) Railroad line. Named after one of the officials of the corporation, Dr. B.F. Roberts, the town was incorporated in 1921. During the next few decades, livestock gradually edged out lumbering as a chief industry. Starting in 1949, the Robertsdale Livestock Auction sold beef cattle, hogs and the like, doing an estimated $80 million in business over the years. Robertsdale beef was even shipped to Texas. Along with farms, Roberstsdale became home to horse and cattle ranches and dairies. In the 1950s, for example, there were some 90 dairies in the area. Beef ruled the day, until the 1970s, and it engendered a legacy of rodeos and cowboy culture still evidenced today. Visit the annual county fair and rodeo. You may believe you are more out West than down South. Resilient Robertsdale continues to grow in new ways. Many of the old farms are now neighborhoods, where new generations take root. The sprawling Baldwin County Coliseum now sits upon the grounds of the old Campbell Dairy Farm. The livestock auction still takes place every Monday - rain, shine or holidays - but it is juxtaposed with white tablecloth dining at Ivey's and a lively business in Belgium armoires at ET Antiques. The "Hub of Baldwin County" - population 5,000 - still works to earn its nickname.