Clarence Miller Maps of Sumner Glenwood Community

During the 1920s, the Sumner Glenwood community in North Minneapolis was comprised of many individuals who were Black or Jewish. Clarence Miller, creator of these maps, states that during this time many of the businesses were changing from Jewish owners to Black owners. Many houses and apartment buildings were nestled in among warehouses, businesses, railway lines, churches, synagogues and schools. There were recreational areas like tennis courts, football fields, and ice skating rinks. By the 1930s, housing in the Sumner Field area had fallen into disrepair, and the Federal government allocated $3.5 million to improve it. By 1938, the Sumner Field Homes Federal Housing Project was completed.

Clarence William Miller was born on August 22, 1908, in La Grange, Missouri. He was the eldest of ten children born to Joseph Irving and Clarissa Lewis Miller. In 1914, his family migrated to Minneapolis where the rest of the family was born and raised. Clarence was educated in the Minneapolis Public Schools and graduated from Sumner Grade School in 1924. He attended high school but left before graduating in order to work. One of his first jobs was at the Minneapolis Recreation Parlor on Hennepin Avenue where such notables as J. Paul Getty and “Minnesota Fats” entertained themselves.

In 1928, Clarence met Helen Clack and they were married on September 19, 1931. From this union, two daughters, Marlyn and Carol, were born. Clarence worked at the Jefferson Bus Lines until 1946. He and the family took a vacation to visit Helen’s sister in California and ended up staying. His first job was with Fruehoff Trucking as a painter. Then he went to work for the Pacific Bell Company until his retirement. While constantly reminiscing and correcting the nature of data and events, Clarence put his fondest memories on paper, creating maps of the Sumner Glenwood area. He continued to work on this project well into his retirement. He died on February 23, 1988.