The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1916-06-02
wonderful program of development
that has marked his life.
Planned the Big Railway.

WonQerful program of development
that has marked his life.
Planned the Big Railway.
1t was in this year that he organ
lied the Red River Valley Transpor-
tat.cn company. and began the de-
velopment of the great Red River
Valley. Out of this plan grew a syn
dlcate that finally took over the st.
Paul and Pacific railroad, out of which
grew the Great Northern railroad.
"A railroad running from the pres
ent site of st. Paul, to what is now
Minneapolis, distance of about ten
miles, was the first foundation upon
which the great Hill system of rail-
roads was built This was the Min
nesota and Pacific railroad, which ran
between st. Paul and st. Anthony, a
city that occupied the present site of
Minneapolis. The 1857 panic halted
the completion of the road. Then
there were only 5,59S miles of rail-
road in the United States. That is
little more than half the present mile
age of the Great Northern, one of sew
eral roads that Hill headed.
In 1860 the road went into the
hands of the state. In the care of Ed
mund Nice, to whom the state gave
the road, it expanded to 202 miles, but
in 1873 again went into financial chaos
with seven mortgages aggregating
$33,000,000. Holland capitalists held
the interests, and they desired to I'M
load. George Stephen, now Lord
Mount Stephen; Donald A. Smith, aft
erward Lord Strargcona and Norman
w. Kittson bought the defaulted bonds
from the Dutch holders, placing J. ].
Hill as general manager of the rail-
road that two other companies had
failed to properly manage.
The three promoters raised much
money, and in May, 1879, organized
the st. Paul, Minneapolis and Mani
tOba railroad, with capital of $751;
100000 The Red River and the won
derful commercial possibilities of
Winnipeg were the immediate goal of
Hill. But the enormous influx of Min
nesota, pushing over it's western
boundaries into the Dakotas, caused
the road to be pushed in that direc-
ton, as well as toward Winnipeg.
Branches and feeders were thrown
out. These lines today form the net
WOlh VI luSo III MlHueSOld dIiu Iuc
Dakotas.
Great Northern Organized.
In 1889 the Great Northern was or
ganized, to forge all the branches and
feeders that had become too large for
the limitations of the Manitoba line.
The same year the line, under Hills
direction, was pushed to Pudget sound.
The same year branches of the Hill
controlled road nosed into the ore
producing country of Northern Min
nesota. Organization of steamship
companies, operating with the Orient,
through Seattle, and in conjunction
with Hills transcontinental railroad
system was the next step in his build
ing career In the meantime, the
Northern Pacific, second ST. Paul
to the coast line had been put
through.
But a Chicago to the coast line was
needed and in 1901 the Hill interests,
represented by the Great Northern
and the Northern Pacific bought the
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy. The
Northern Security company, to con-
troll the three roads was organized,
declared illegal under the Sherman
anti trust law, and dissolved 1t. In
1907 the fourteen railroads operated
subsidiary to the Great Northern were
purchased by the Great Northern, and
operated as a part of the Great
Northern system. sd
Throughout his rugged life, expan-
sion has been the keynote. Hills
faculty of doing many things stimuli
and well forged him ahead
in the ranks of railroaders, capital
lists, farmers, bankers, financiers and
advisers. He was on the board of di-
rectors of banks in New York, Chica-
go and st. Paul. Since 1912, he has
been ostensibly not connected with
any railroad, his son l.. w. Hill hav-
ing the title in the roads Hill con-
trolled.