In a 1927 local article, Mardi Gras floats in Shreveport were described as “12 handsomely decorated floats look more beautiful as the finishing touches are added to them.”
We found these old photos several years ago while researching at the Northwest Louisiana Archives at LSUS and what’s really cool is that we have a video of this very parade! Yep, that’s right, a video from 1927! Here’s the story on how we got our hands on that video:
Daniel Garner actually discovered this film in a closet at the Louisiana State Fairgrounds years ago. Since it was composed of silver nitrate, he raised money to have it sent to the Eastman House to be processed and transferred to VHS video. He then donated copies to the LSUS Archives.
Marty Loschen, then curator of the Spring Street Museum, stumbled across a copy that had been hidden away there for many years. He contacted us (Twin Blends: Northwest Louisiana History Hunters) and allowed us to transfer it to digital form and post it to the internet. The response has been overwhelming!