Minnesota man discovers rare film of late 1920s Minneapolis neighborhood

A treasured glimpse of late 1920s life in Minneapolis has been buried in a box in a basement.

Charles Gramling first came across the box in 2010 as he was going through his brother's possessions after he died, but he set it aside.

Until recently, when he happened upon the box again. This time he looked through it, found the film got a projector and took the time to look at it.

"I was impressed," said Gramling. "I didn't realize what I was going to find."

Gramling, now of Lindstrom, found a slice of his father's childhood in that reel of film. It showed the neighborhood where his father grew up at 3rd Avenue and East Minnehaha Parkway in Minneapolis. His father was riding in a horse-drawn carriage in the middle of winter with what looks like friends and family. The film, shot by Gramling's grandfather, Charles N. Gramling, showed the majestic houses and the simplicity of life back when his father was growing up. He had it digitized.

"What goes through my mind now is that there is nobody left in my family to sit down and look at the film with and appreciate it as it should be," said Gramling wistfully. "My father, brother and mother all died."

The video, posted to the Old Minneapolis Facebook page (see below), has about 230,000 page views as of Saturday night.

Gramling's discovery has an even deeper meaning for him than most other people. He has a strong passion for history. He volunteers at the Chisago City Heritage Association.