The Empire Builder – How To Run A Railroad

By Bennett Owen

Credit: gngoat

“So I logged onto the Amtrak website. My computer not only crashed, it rolled down an embankment…”

- Jay Leno

Steamliner Crossing Mississippi River over Stone Arch Bridge. Credit: ioffer

It is the only stone arch bridge spanning the Mississippi river, an enduring monument to the vision of railway tycoon James J. Hill. Minneapolis, Minnesota was the terminus of the Great Northern…at its zenith, a 27-hundred mile network connecting the central plains with the Pacific Northwest…the “top of the continent” as Hill described it.

A Canadian by birth, Hill exemplified the American dream, going to work as a young boy, helping to support his family on four dollars a month. By age 25 he was a partner in his first railroad, the St. Paul and Pacific with a single line that stretched a grand total of 10 miles. By the time he turned 50 in 1889, Hill was one of America’s richest men, with river shipping lines and the Great Northern Railway network stretching to the Puget Sound.  He became known as the Empire Builder. A remarkable businessman, Hill was also ruthless when the need arose, as this popular 19^th century ditty attests:

“Twixt Hill and Hell, there is just one letter.
 Were Hill in Hell, we’d feel much better.”

Shouldn’t  “Burma Shave” come at the end of that? 

In 1891 the railroad magnate completed the largest residence in Minnesota, the magnificent James J. Hill House. It’s still a St. Paul landmark.

But one of Hill’s greatest visionary feats was recognizing the tourist potential of what would become Glacier National Park. His idea was to capitalize on the wealthy travelers who normally visited Europe and lure them to Glacier, riding on his railroad.  His ‘See America First’ campaign spawned a chain of hotels, chalets, boat launches and roads as Hill created his ‘Playground of the Northwest.’  The Many Glacier Hotel opened in 1915, just a year before Hill’s death. In 1927 his son unveiled the Prince of Wales Hotel just across the border.

Credit: Gord McKenna

That was the great era of luxury train travel and I will readily admit to a 21^st century nostalgia born of beautiful ads like this one:

Credit: gngoat

And this one:

Credit: gngoat

During the war years the park facilities were closed down and the Great Northern let its mascot, Rocky break the news:

Credit: gngoat

Once the war was over, the Rocky returned with happier tidings:

Credit: gngoat

Even the best-run railway couldn’t stall the takeoff of commercial aviation the relatively rapid demise of train travel in America. Nevertheless, as Jay Leno points out, we still have Amtrak.

For more information please visit the Great Northern Railway website.

Credit: gngoat