The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1892-03-24
jim HILLS GREAT SUCCESS.
From q Dock LabOIsr 70 lhs Head Of 4
FraHscOHunsHtll Line.
The DeVelopment % = SerlrvTnter
naiiroad--An Intensely later
esting History - the
Great Northern.

In this day and IN this land Of rapidly
made fortunes and names there Is nons
more remarkable than the rise q Presi
dent J. J. Hin from poverty andobsearity
10 aiiluenee and fame. Three decades agC
he was an unknown laborer on the Mis-
slssippi river docks at St. Paul. But this
keen-ninded, energetic man was nevei
destined long TO perform snch humbls
labors. In a Few years We end him con.
trolling line Of steamers on the Red
river Of the north in the days when those
steamers and clumsy two-wheeled OF
carts formed the only means Of communi'
cation between the infant cities, Mime
apolis and 81. Paul, and the vast regions
Of the middle northwest.
A step more and We end him the NOV
ing spirit in the purchase Of the old 81.
Paul & Pacific and its conversion into the
81. Paul, Minneapolis a Manitoba. The
line was extended TO Winnipeg, numer-
Gus branches were built until to-day this
system Families the whole middle north
west. :
Next, In 1890, after the Manitoba bad
been built into eastern Montana, came
the amalgamation Of the Sc. Paul Mime
apolis 4 Manitoba, the Manitoba Cen
tral, the Minnesota Eastern and the Du-
luth 4 Southwestern to form the Great
Northern railway line.
Mr.. Hills longtime dream Of building
and controlling \ transeontinental line
was now at the beginning Of its realiza-
ton. Already as early as 1889, the old
Manitoba had engineers in the field on
reconnaissance and pFeliminaries. Mr.,
Elllson's party was the liTst to take the
FIELD, and others rapidly followed Il.
In the dead Of the winter Of lss9-9O,
Mr.. Haskell penetrated the Rocky noun
tains from the west, going up through the
canyon Of the Flathead river and the Bad
rock, through the seyeTest weather, and
opposed BY cold, hunger and al the OBJ
stacles nature put In the way Of the piO-
ueer. He persevered until be reached
the summit Of the Rockies, and convinced
himself Of the remarkably low altitude Of
the Marais pass. The pass was Al once
decided upon. and in March, 1900, the
party Of engineers left AsslnabOine june
'ion On w northern Iouse' Oona1tuctloh
ana tfaeNlaying were oegon the same
se'.soh' anu " ssnu.iy' ioSl, tle ena y
.i'e tiaek was ~ Ous oanA' some " miles
rom Assinaooine.
Eariy IN the season OF 1871 construction
was begun Gown tne west slope o. tht
sockles ana into luano. me Progress o
ine ralis was long uine eelayea oy tne
diminished tIe-sle across me i've Aeal-
eine, Nnicn y something IKE zlV 'ees ~
helsht'
AT lenssh aiser many delays the laiis
crossed the summit Of the mountains at
an elevation Of Szlo ieet above the sea-
ana moreover 2 thing unpafaileled' a.
'ained y without exceeding per cent
maximum grade Descendinson the west
s'de' however short stretch Of Is per
cent grade could not De eliminated BY the
sklli o. the pest engineers.
Getting down into the Fiathead coun-
Try the incesaant rains made traeklayinR
almost an imPosaibility' and Shepherd,
Stems q Co., the firm who have the whole
contract, despuired Of being able to reach
the Flathead valley before the deep SHOWS
1t winter would make traeklaying an i'm
possibility. Then . span Of the bridge At
The second crossing q the Flathead col
lapsed and carried nine men 70 their death
On the rocks below. But the bridge was
replaced by temporary structure, and
On January 4, 1892, the first train pulled
into kalispell, the promising young me
'ropolis Of the Flathead valley.
Meantime, IN December, a spur wa'
built IRON the Northern Pacific At Sand
Point, Idaho, 70 the line Of the GreaI
Northern, the two roads being very neal
toeetheT at that point. From here track.
laying has begun both ways, toward ka
lispell on the east and Spokane on The
west, while at the same time the work on
The continuous line was being pushed
through the Cabinet mountains nom the
east. 10 a short time two Of the steel
gangs will meet in Idaho at about the