Reuel Colt Gridley
Reuel Colt Gridley
Early day Austin merchant who became famous for carrying a 50-pound sack of flour from Austin to Clifton, on April 19, 1864, to pay off an election bet.
While celebrating afterward, Gridley decided to auction off the sack at flour By auctioning the sack in Austin, Virginia City, Sacramento, and San Francisco, he raised $200,000 for the Sanitary Commission, a private relief agency for sick and wounded Union soldiers
This was the forerunner of the Red Cross. Submitted by @Luke_McCready
Early day Austin merchant who became famous for carrying a 50-pound sack of flour from Austin to Clifton, on April 19, 1864, to pay off an election bet.
While celebrating afterward, Gridley decided to auction off the sack at flour By auctioning the sack in Austin, Virginia City, Sacramento, and San Francisco, he raised $200,000 for the Sanitary Commission, a private relief agency for sick and wounded Union soldiers
This was the forerunner of the Red Cross. Submitted by @Luke_McCready
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