The Empire Builder, James J. Hill

James J. Hill, who became famously known as the "Empire Builder" for his role in further developing the Northwest through his control of the Great Northern Railway, is perhaps just as well remembered for what he did outside of the business world. Unlike many of the now-famous railroad tycoons, Hill held great interest in the communities which were located along his lines and he donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to public interests like schools and libraries. Today, the dream he always had of merging the four railroads in which he held the most interest has not only became reality but its successor is also one of the largest such companies in the country, BNSF Railway.

Just like Vanderbilt, James J. Hill became quite successful in the steamboat business amassing quite a fortune before the financial panic of 1873 gave him an opportunity to enter the railroad industry with several companies either in ruin or bankruptcy. One of these railroads was the St. Paul & Pacific Railroad, which dated back to May 22, 1857 as the Minnesota & Pacific Railroad (a year before Minnesota was an official state). In the early 1860s it reorganized as the St. Paul & Pacific but the railroad was fraught with financial difficulty and its main line connected just St. Paul and St. Anthony (Minneapolis), a distance of just over 10 miles.

After the panic Hill and a group of other businessmen including Norman Kittson, Donald Smith, and George Stephen collectively purchased the bankrupt StP&P believing with proper investment that the railroad could become quite profitable. For more information about the early history of the Great Northern please click here.

Now that these railroads were all under one control Hill quickly set about building to the Pacific Coast and Seattle which was accomplished just four years later in 1893, doing so almost entirely without the use of land grants. The "Empire Builder" was often criticized for taking his time in building the line towards Seattle. He would construct a few hundred miles at a time, and work to have folks settle the areas before continuing westward. Throughout the rest of the early 20th century Hill worked to modernize his main line, especially through the Rockies by eliminating grades and curves.

One of his well-known quotes is one perhaps we all could live by in the pursuit of achieving success in whatever we may do, "work, hard work, intelligent work, and then more work." Unlike some of the railroad tycoons and presidents Hill regularly put massive amounts of the company's profits back into the physical plant, keeping his railroad well-maintained.

Hill once controlled the GN and rival Northern Pacific, and along with ally J.P. Morgan looked to control the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy through the Northern Securities Company. However, this company was broken up as a result of the Sherman Antitrust Act. Despite this setback Hill gained control of the Colorado & Southern Railway which stretched from southern Wyoming through east Texas and the Gulf of Mexico. He also successfully completed the Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway, connection Spokane, Washington with Portland, Oregon. Interestingly, with Morgan controlling the CB&Q Hill was able to indirectly complete his connection to Chicago. This setup lasted through 1970 when his successors were finally able to created the massive Burlington Northern system.

Before his death in 1916 James J. Hill was able to achieve the last of his great legacies, the completion of the Cascade Tunnel through Washington's Cascade Range (a new tunnel was later bored and opened in the 1920s, which is still used today by the BNSF Railway, and is some 8 miles in length!). Because of the money Hill regularly gave to libraries and schools his heirs used part of his fortune to endow the James J. Hill Reference Library in St. Paul, Minnesota. For more information about this library please click here. Also, for more information about James J. Hill please click here.

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(A deep thanks to the Museum of the Rockies at Montana State University for allowing Ron Nixon's historic collection of the Great Northern to be featured here. Please note that the photos featured on this page feature their corresponding image number so that you may quickly and easily find more information about it from their website. To view Ron Nixon's entire collection please click here.)

Also, for more reading on the Great Northern Railway consider purchasing a copy of Great Northern Empire Builder from author Bill Yenne. The hardcover book, filled with photos, covers the legendary train from its beginnings to end when Amtrak took over. Any GN fan or historian will very much enjoy it. If you're interested in perhaps purchasing either (or both) of these books please visit the links below which will take you to ordering information through Amazon.com, the trusted online shopping network.

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