The Devils Lake world and inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1915-1920, 1916-06-01

CouHts ne was the first man to bring
mineral coal to st. Paul. At about tho
same time l:e became station master Of
the only railroad entering st. Paul, thus
getting his first specific railroad educa-
tion.
Because of tremendous application AMI
persistent study of commercial condi-
tions in Southern Minnesota, Hill i'll
1859 headed the Hill-Grigg !Transporta-
tion Co. which also handled fuel. It
was in 1870. however, that he took the
first trip in the wonderful program of
development that has marked his life.
1t was this year that he organized
the Red River Valley transportation c /, :,
and began the development ofthe great
Red River valley. Out of this plan grew
9 syndicate that finally took over the st.
Paul & Pacific railroad, out of which
grew the Great Northern.
A railroad running from the present
site of st. Paul to what is now Mime
apolis, distance of about ten miles, was
the first foundation upon which the grea,
Hill system ran between st. Paul and ST.
Anthony, city that occupied the pres
ent site Of Minneapolis. The 1857 panic
halted the completion of the road. There
the United States. That is a little more
than half the present mileage of the
Great Northern, one of the several roacs
that Hill headed.
In 1860 the road went into the hands
OF the state. In the care of Edmund
Rice, to whom the state gave the roa]
it expanded 2O2 miles. but in 1873 again
went into financial chaos. with seven
mortgages aggregating $33.O00,0OO.
Holland capitalists held the interests
and they desired to unload. George
Stephens, now Lord Mount Stephen.
Donald A. Smith, afterward Lord Star
geons and Norman w. kittson bought
the defaulted bonds from the Dutch
holders. placing ]. J. Hill as general
manager Of the railroad that two other
companies had failed to properly man
age.
The three promoters raised much mon
ey and in May, 1879, organized the st.
Paul. Minneapolis & Manitoba railroad.
with {. capital of $15,000.00O. The Req
river and the wonderful commercial pos.
sibilities of Winnipeg were the immed-
late goal of Hill. But the enormous ir-
fiux of Minnesota, pushing over it's
western boundaries in to the Dakotas,
caused the road to be pushed in that di-
rection as Well as toward Winnipeg.
Branches and feeders were thrown out
These today form the network bf fines
in Minnesota and the Dakotas.
In 1869, the Great Northern was or
ganized to merge all the branches and
feeders that had become too large for
the limitations of the Manitoba line.
This same year the line, under Hills dl-
rection, was pushed to Puget sound. Th.
same year the branches of the Hill con-
troled road nosed into the ore producing
country Of northern Minnesota. Organ
izaiion Of steamship companies. operst-
ing with the Orient, through Seattle and
in conjunction with Hills transcontt-
tai railroad system was the next step
in his building career. In the meantime
the Northern Pacific second St. Paul
to the coast line had been put through.
But Chicago to the coast line was
needed and 1891 the Hill interests, rep
resented by the Great Northern and
the Northern Pacific bought the Chicago
Burlington & Quincy. The Northern Sc
curity Co., to control the three roads
was formed, declared illegal, under the
Sherman antitrust law and dissolved.
In 1897 the ii railroads operated sub
sidary to the Great Northern were PR
chased by the Great Northern and Of