Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1916-06-30
MIR, President and Gentlemen:

This day has been designated by
your chamber and many other COM
mercial organizations throughout
the state to commemorate the life
and achievements of James J. Hill,
and ! am honored by being invited
to pay a brief but sincere and hum
bic tribute to his memory.
James J. Hill was born on Septem-
Der lG, 1898, ON farm near
Guelph, Ontario. of Scotch-lrish par
ents. He died at $50 II. III. May 20,
at the family home in St Paul
Mimi, in his 18th year
James }. Hill was a self-made man
in every sense of the term. He was
born in humble circumstances and
his boyhood days We're not unlike
those of many another. He attend
ed the country school until he was
II years old. He then attended the
lockwood academy a couple of
years. In the meantime his father
died and he and his brother had to
go out to work as there was but lit
tie left for the family TO live on. He
entered drygoOds store at Rock
wood, Canada. intending to learn
the business. He left this to go into
a general store at Guelph, when he
was Is, but remained only about six
months. He then went to New York
state and worked his way to St.
Paul, not having the price of
ticket. He landed in st. Paul penni-
less on July 10. 1856, and secured a
job the same day unloading slab
wood. st. Paul was then a frontier
town of but 5000 population. In
the same year he entered the employ
OF j. w. Bass d Co, agents for the
Dubuque & st. Paul Packet com
pany. In 1865 he became agent for
the Northwestern Packet company.
In 1866 he engaged in the general
fuel and transportation business for
himself. The next year he married
Miss Theresa Michigan, and became
station agent for the St. Paul & Pa
cifc railroad In 1869 he formed
the fuel and warehouse firm of Hill
Griggs & Co In 1870 he organized
the Red River Transportation COM
pany. In 1875 he formed the North
western Fuel company.
He worked hard and saved his
money and steadily progressed. His
associates and superiOrs observed his
abilities and energy and he estab-
lished a foundation and reputation
that was to carry him to the highest
pinnacle of success in later years
His railroad career began at this
iuncture in his career, when he fore
saw the opportunity of securing and
developing the ST. Paul & Pacific
railroad, a bankrupt line of several
hundred miles, which ran from ST.
Paul to st. Cloud and Breckenridge
and the Red River valley. 1t was lit
tie better than two streaks of rust
and right OF way and had proven
a financial failure. Scraping to-
gether his limited personal means
and securing the backing of George
stephen, afterward Lord Mount Ste
phen, and Donald A Smith, after
ward Sir Donald A. Smith, he OBJ
tanned control of this dilapidated
system which was the nucleus OF
what is now the Great Northern rail
way. He improved and extended this
road and in 1890 organized the
Great Northern railway. He stead
lily extended the road and built
branches until the goal was reached
on Puget Sound in 1893. To most
men this would have been crown
ing achievem ent, but not so with Mr..
Hill. In conjunction with the North
ern Pacific railway he purchased the
Burlington system and organized
the Northern Securities company in
1901, but decreased its capitaliza-
ton by court order in 1904. The
Great Northern and Northern Pacific
jointly built the Spokane Portland
4 Seattle railway, Oregon Trunk,
and Oregon Electric railways, and
gave to Oregon a competing system
of rail transportation. Meanwhile
he built palatial steamships to ply
the Great Lakes, between Buffalo
and Duluth and in 1904 inaugurated
trans-Pacific steamship service by
the steamship Minnesota, which was
followed the next year by her sister
ship. The Dakota. The latter's ca
reer. however, was short lived, for
the Dakota was wrecked on Shire
hama reef in the Inland sea year
and a half afterwards, but with no
life loss. The steamer Minnesota
continued in the service, carrying
millions of dollars worth of exports
and imports between Seattle and the
Orient, up to last year, when the pro-
visions of the Seamen's Bill drove