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Reuel Colt Gridley “Citizen Extraordinaire”

Reuel Colt Gridley

Reuel Colt Gridley Overview

This simple stone structure, opened to the public in late 1863, originally operated as a general store.

Gridley, one of the store owners, is best remembered for his 1864 wager that prompted the auctioning of a sack of flour for donations to the “Sanitary Fund,” the Civil War forerunner of the American Red Cross.

Category

  • Event
  • Military
  • Person

Marker Type

On building

Nevada Historical Marker Number

Reuel Colt Gridley is Nevada Historical Marker #119.

Click here to view the complete list of Nevada State Historical Markers.

County

Lander County, Nevada

GPS Coordinates

39.489508, -117.062922

Nevada Historical Marker Transcription

This simple stone structure, opened to the public in late 1863, was originally operated as a general merchandise store by the firm of Gridley, Hobart, and Jacobs.  Gridley is best remembered for his 1864 wager that prompted the auctioning of a sack of flour for donations to the “Sanitary Fund,” the Civil War forerunner of the American Red Cross.  The flour was sold again and again throughout Nevada and California, then taken east and eventually auctioned at the St. Louis Sanitary Fair in 1864. In all, it raised about $275,000 for the fund.  Gridley died almost penniless six years later.

STATE HISTORICAL MARKER No. 119

STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICE

LANDER COUNTY CIVIC & HISTORIC SOCIETY

References Used

Reuel Colt Gridley