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Manti, Sanpete County, 1860s
Relocated in 1992
This Manti general merchandise business was owned by Luther T. Tuttle and his business partner Edward Fox. It carried a variety of goods including fabric, household utensils, foods, and farming equipment. It was also a place where settlers enjoyed the opportunity for informal social gatherings. It would not have been uncommon to come to the store to play a game of checkers with a friend.
Mormon merchants and customers usually conducted business by barter, as cash was so limited. Brigham Young knew that upon completion of the transcontinental railroad, many merchants would arrive, selling their wares at high prices for cash. So, in 1868, Tuttle and Fox sold their business, which was merged into the newly founded ZCMI, a locally owned business with 140 branches throughout the territory. At a ZCMI store, the Saints could purchase goods by barter or cash at fair prices.
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