'It's someone's history:' Fargo man develops photos from vintage camera found at estate sale

FARGO — It was nine years ago when Dave Huber stopped by an estate sale at Weivoda Carpets in Dilworth, Minnesota. While there, he picked up a vintage Kodak Brownie camera.

"It was almost perfect condition, and I thought, 'that's one to have,'" Huber said, adding it appeared the camera had hardly been used.

"The condition blew me away. Unused flash bulbs, the original batteries, everything looks to be in almost pristine condition," Huber said.

Also inside the box was the original receipt. The camera was purchased for just over $5 new from Ellison's Fair Department Store in Minot, North Dakota.

Inside the camera was a roll of film from what looked to be images from the 1960s.

Huber said he had always wanted to develop the film, but had never gotten around to doing it. "In the process, life happened, and it got put on a shelf, and we moved and it got put on another shelf," Huber said.

Another hurdle was how to actually process the film. Luckily for Huber, his coworker Matt Scherrer at North Dakota State University's Challey School of Music came to the rescue.

Scherrer, of Moorhead, had just recently bought a Kodak Brownie and actively shoots with it, sending film out East for processing. He took Huber's film and had it sent off.

What they got in return was a peek into history.

"The rest is history. It was pretty amazing," Huber said.

"It was the first thing I looked at, and I immediately, just wow," Scherrer added.

What appeared to be pictures after a baby's birth, black and white family photos were uncovered.

Photos of what looks to be an older brother with his new sibling and various family members cradling the newborn. There is even a picture captured in the kitchen at feeding time.

"It just transports you back to another time, and all these questions flood into your mind. Who, what, when, all those things. It was amazing," Huber said.

The question now: Who are the people in the pictures, and how can they be reunited with the photos?

Huber wants to return the private, precious prints to the family.

"It's cool, man. It's someone's history. (...) You couldn't help just but be transported back to that. It was something special," Scherrer said.

If you recognize the family in the photos, email to news@wday.com

1/7: Some of the photos from the 1960's found in a Brownie camera bought at an estate sale in Dilworth. The roll of film was just developed.

2/7: Some of the photos from the 1960's found in a Brownie camera bought at an estate sale in Dilworth. The roll of film was just developed.

3/7: Some of the photos from the 1960's found in a Brownie camera bought at an estate sale in Dilworth. The roll of film was just developed.

4/7: Some of the photos from the 1960's found in a Brownie camera bought at an estate sale in Dilworth. The roll of film was just developed.

5/7: Some of the photos from the 1960's found in a Brownie camera bought at an estate sale in Dilworth. The roll of film was just developed.

6/7: Some of the photos from the 1960's found in a Brownie camera bought at an estate sale in Dilworth. The roll of film was just developed.

7/7: Some of the photos from the 1960's found in a Brownie camera bought at an estate sale in Dilworth. The roll of film was just developed.