The accompanying factory letter confirms the 4 3/4 inch barrel in desirable .44-40 caliber and blue finish. The revolver was shipped on August 19, 1908 to Missoula Mercantile Co. of Missoula, Montana. Matching serial numbers on the frame, trigger guard and back strap. The Missoula Mercantile dominated wholesale and retail trade in the Missoula area from 1885 to 1920, and was known as the "go to" shopping center in the town. Across its three floors of space The Mercantile offered hardware, plumbing supplies, local groceries, furniture, farm equipment, and of course guns. Over the years stories about The Mercantile have ranged from urban legends of Ringling Brothers elephants being kept in the basement when the circus was in town, to the true story of the passage in the basement used by John Wayne to move between the store and the nearby Florence Hotel when he was in Missoula. Provenance: The John Fox Collection