James J. Hill: The Empire Builder

Known as "The Empire Builder"James J. Hill was instrumental in settling the great plains. Wielding the vision of a transcontinental railroad, Hill recruited immigrants to settle along his rail lines to create a market for his company bringing wheat east to the great mills and elevators and shipping goods west to supply the ever growing homesteaders. By the end of his life, Hill's economic dominance stretched from his headquarters in St. Paul to the Pacific Ocean.
Production funding provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund and by the members of Prairie Public
About the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund
In 2008, Minnesota voters passed a landmark piece of legislation - the Minnesota Clean Water, Land, and Legacy Amendment - which provided funding to public television stations serving audiences in Minnesota. Its mission is to help preserve and document the treasures of culture, history, and heritage that make Minnesota special, and to increase access to the natural and cultural resources we all share.

[@ALL-bj7mj]

My father worked for Rock Island 1974-1980, CNW 1980-1991 and then the BN 1991-1995 and had to give up due to brain cancer.....he could tell the story and history of all 3 lines he worked, plus the ship builder before he went too viet nam…..he always told me, if you don't know the history of the company that employees you than what type of asset are you.....out of them all James J Hill was the man he knew the most about....

[@christophers.o622]

Great informative video on James J. Hill. The Great Northern was always one of my favorite pre merger railroads, after it became the Burlington Northern, that became one of my favorite railroads and today it is BNSF, it is my favorite railroad. I read about James J. Hill in the book American railroads throughout my high school years. My favorite chapter is about a James J.Hill & the Great Northern railroad and the train the Empire Builder. I plan to ride on the Empire Builder sometime within the next few years.

[@formerparatrooper]

One day when Hill was walking the line during construction he picked up a spike on the roadbed. His foreman ran up to him and exclaimed, "Thank goodness you found that, I have had three laborers searching for that spike all day!" I read that it might have been the only time Hill smiled or chuckled.

[@douglasskaalrud6865]

Hill would not have been amused to learn that a track crew had not moved beyond the range of a spike lying on the ground in one day.

[@erikk77]

At 6:11 the train shown is the Amtrak "Cascades" that travels between Seattle and Portland OR.

[@BladeSkier1974]

Yeah, the director dropped the ball on this one!

[@davepenn9181]

He must have been home once in a while, given that he had 10 kids.

[@captainmorgan757]

At 1:21, the interviewee is taking about St.Paul, however, the editor of this video inserts a vintage photo of Minneapolis, looking west, from St.Anthony.

[@clintgolub1751]

Excellent catch

[@barbaradarnell.3802]

4:53 driving the golden Spike for the Oregon Trunk in Bend,Oregon

[@Ali-ku9cz]

i wonder if that gold spike is still there

[@bearowen5480]

One very significant aspect of Hill's illustrious career that was not mentioned in this short documentary, probably due to the limitations of brevity, was the role played by the Great Northern in the development of one of our most beautiful national parks, Glacier-Waterton International Peace Park. Hill developed the park out of economic self interest by building tourist ridership on his railroad, but today we are all the beneficiaries of his vision for not only developing Glacier but also bountiful agriculture and industry in the Pacific Northwest. There is no doubt that the "Empire Builder" was one of the great capitalists of the 19th Century whose economic obsession built the country as we know it today. The Great Northern was one of the few truly elegant and well run railroads which contrasted sharply with the economic disasters personified by most of the other transcontinental roads. Hill was driven and shrewd, but knew how to efficiently develop and run a legitimately profitable and successful transportation enterprise. Long live the historic legacy of Canadian expatriot, James J. Hill, the Empire Builder!

[@bearowen5480]

One very significant aspect of Hill's illustrious career that was not mentioned in this short documentary, probably due to the limitations of brevity, was the role played by the Great Northern in the development of one of our most beautiful national parks, Glacier-Waterton International Peace Park. Hill developed the park out of economic self interest by building tourist ridership on his railroad, but today we are all the beneficiaries of his vision for not only developing Glacier but also bountiful agriculture and industry in the Pacific Northwest. There is no doubt that the "Empire Builder" was one of the great capitalists of the 19th Century whose economic obsession built the country as we know it today. The Great Northern was one of the few truly elegant and well run railroads which contrasted sharply with the economic disasters personified by most of the other transcontinental roads. Hill was driven and shrewd, but knew how to efficiently develop and run a legitimately profitable and successful transportation enterprise. Long live the historic legacy of Canadian expatriot, James J. Hill, the Empire Builder!

[@jamiepoems]

Very intresting to check out my own name history

[@DaveyJones969]

I'm afraid James J Hill would be turning over in his grave if he knew what these people have done to his railroad. Ripping out tracks, selling tracks, firing workers, blowing of long time customers left and right to line their pockets and make a quick profit then they quit. Then another group comes in and continues the same pattern. I work for BNSF and persicsion railroad is the new pattern. They cut all expenses they spit on their workers. Railroad jobs used to be an honorable job. Not anymore these railroads hate there workers and we get treated like slaves. The stuff they do to us and expect from us should be on the front page of the paper and breaking news on the t.v., they want to pay us nothing and cut our health to nothing. Its absolutely sad and needs to be changed. I don't understand how humans can hate so goddam much to screw there fellow humans over.

[@douglasskaalrud6865]

Welcome to the real world pal.

[@FlatWaterFilms]

The railroads were already here from a previous civilization, they were just dug out. The JJ house was not built by him, he just inherited it and repurposed it. His-story is one big fat lie.