Jim Hill
Named in 20 stories. Back to all names
- Nov 12, 1891The Iron Rush: Mapping Jim Hill’s Great Northern RouteSpeculation mounts as reports surface of the Great Northern Railroad’s potential path through the Chehalis Valley and Grays Harbor.Aberdeen, WA
- Nov 27, 1891Jim Hill Finally Names Everett as the Sound TerminusA contract to build the Great Northern from Everett to Stevens Pass promises 3,000 jobs and a transcontinental line — if the tunnel and the promises hold.Everett, WA
- Mar 7, 1892The Railroad Baron Who Refused to Compete With ShadowsNorthern Pacific president Tom Oakes tells Seattle that Jim Hill’s Great Northern is more phantom than threat—and explains why cutting timber rates could backfire on Puget Sound’s lumbermen.Seattle, WA
- Mar 10, 1892Jim Hill Looks at Olympia and Decides There Isn't Enough Money In ItThe Great Northern will bypass the capital on its Seattle–Tacoma–Portland line, leaving the field to the Northern Pacific — a blunt verdict on the city's prospects from the era's great railroad builder.Olympia, WA
- Mar 11, 1892The Railroad President Who Said No to OlympiaA Great Northern snub prompts the Olympia Tribune to rally the capital city behind its railroad ambitions.Olympia, WA
- May 29, 1892The Great Northern Railway Arrives in SpokaneAfter years of construction, the final spike connects Spokane to the Great Northern line, linking the city to the East.Ross Park, Spokane, WA
- Oct 4, 1892Hiking the Great Northern Rail GradeA grueling five-day foot journey from Wenatchee to Snohomish reveals the raw, volatile life of the 'mushroom towns' springing up along the railroad's path.Stevens Pass, Skykomish, WA
- Jan 7, 1893The Last Spike for the Great NorthernWithout fanfare, the transcontinental link is finished in the Cascades, promising a new era for Seattle.Stevens Pass, Skykomish, WA
- Feb 25, 1893Spokane Was Ready to Rotten-Egg Jim HillThe Great Northern's freight rates left Spokane merchants bitter enough to organize, sue, and threaten the railroad baron with produce.Riverside Avenue, Spokane, WA
- Aug 3, 1894Mrs. ‘Jumbo’ Cantwell Comes Home: Swollen Feet, a Stolen $100, and the Remains of Coxey’s ArmyThe Tacoma woman returns from the Commonwealers’ march with dropsy-swollen feet, $1.15 to her name, and a story about the Seattle branch secretary who ran off with her daughter’s stocking money.Tacoma, WA
- Mar 13, 1899Jim Hill’s Kanopolis Bluff: A Railway Empire in the MakingGreat Northern President James J. Hill is quietly surveying a route through the Kanopolis Valley, sparking rumors that he intends to build up the area into a major hub rather than just passing through.Seattle, WA
- Feb 1, 1903Oregon's Lobbyists Descend on Olympia for the Lewis and Clark FairWashington legislators balk at donating $200,000 to Portland's 1905 exposition, as Senator J. P. Sharp calls it an indiscriminate giveaway of public funds.Olympia, WA
- Jan 6, 1909City Council Prepares to Give Away Valuable Tideflat LandTacoma officials are poised to hand over prime waterfront property to the Great Northern Railway without demanding fair concessions or adequate infrastructure in return.Tacoma, WA
- Jan 13, 1909Jim Hill’s Tideflat TacticHow a railroad magnate manipulated the City Council into a lopsided depot deal by trading away public bridge obligations for private land gains.Tacoma, WA
- Jan 14, 1909The Price of Tacoma’s Railroad GrowthAfter a grueling two-year standoff, the city grants Jim Hill massive concessions in exchange for long-promised freight terminals and a new depot.Tacoma, WA
- Jan 14, 1909The City vs. The Railroad KingAfter two years of political brinkmanship, a local newspaper claims victory in forcing Jim Hill to negotiate for Tacoma's rail expansion.City Hall, Tacoma, WA
- Jan 28, 1909City council surrenders waterfront to railroad mogulTacoma officials vote to abandon a legal battle to reclaim public tidelands from the Northern Pacific Railroad.Tacoma, WA
- Mar 17, 1909The Northern Pacific Railway's 'Double Cross' of TacomaLocal boosters vow to fight for recognition after the railroad cancels a promised tourism advertisement promoting Mt. Tacoma at the behest of Seattle interests.Tacoma, WA
- Mar 23, 1909Tacoma Takes a Win in the War of the RailsTacoma boosters celebrate a victory as the Great Northern Railroad prepares to move its commissary operations from Seattle to Tacoma.Tacoma, WA
- Apr 15, 1909The Battle for the West WaterfrontTacoma citizens are urged to confront railroad attorneys tonight to prevent the Northern Pacific from monopolizing the city’s waterfront access.Point Defiance, Tacoma, WA