The Wizard of the Great Northern
How James J. Hill built a continental railroad empire by hand, one trestle at a time.
The story, cleaned up
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James J. Hill, often called the 'modern Aladdin of the Northwest,' has completed the Great Northern railway system to Seattle. Starting as a clerk on the levees of St. Paul in the 1860s, Hill has built over 4,000 miles of track. Known for his obsessive attention to detail, Hill personally oversees the construction of side tracks and water tanks. On a recent inspection in Montana, he famously discharged a conductor on the spot for running a train over the speed limit. His railroad is built to stay, featuring low grades that allow for massive freight hauling, positioning his line to potentially carry goods across the continent cheaper than by sea.
“You may laugh at Jim Hill now, but the time will soon come when you and every railroad manager of the United States will have to take off your hats to him.”
James J. Hill's relentless, hands-on management style built the infrastructure that defined the 20th-century Northwest. Today, his legacy persists in the BNSF Railway network, which continues to be a central artery for Pacific Northwest commerce and a point of ongoing civic debate regarding rail safety and freight volume in Seattle.
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