caption death_date death_place image_size birth_date image article_title name
gridley with his sack of flour in 1864 24 november 1870 stockton , california 300px 23 january 1829 reuel colt gridley circa 1864.jpg reuel colt gridley
 reuel colt gridley
reuel colt gridley

reuel colt gridley -lrb- january 23 , 1829 - november 24 , 1870 -rrb- was an american storekeeper who gained nationwide attention in 1864 , when he repeatedly auctioned a plain sack of flour and raised over $ 250,000 for the united states sanitary commission , which provided aid to wounded american civil war soldiers .
