Chapter Ten: The Big Store

In the last episode of Land Grab, we try- as best we can- to unravel the twisted up tentacles of the Missoula Octopus> As the Great Depression washes over Montana, one organization seems remarkably immune: the Missoula Mercantile Company, which imbedded within every industry in the county, and floats the entire region throughout the turmoil. 

Throughout the run of this show, we’ve seen the Merc spread across Western Montana, ruling Missoula county and pulling  in a constant, steady stream of cash from everyone in the area. But, starting at the turn of the 20th Century, that vast majority of that wealth, generated in Montana, began flowing upward and outward to the West Coast. This chapter, we follow the money and catch up with an old friend in San Francisco: Andrew B. Hammond.   

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