James J. Hill Scrapbook

James J. Hill was born near Guelph, Ontario on September 16, 1838 of parents of Scottish and Northern Ireland background. He moved to St. Paul, Minnesota when he was 18 and began his career in railroad building. His major accomplishment was to discover the "bread-basket of the world" in the Northwest United States and led in the development of its 6 states from wilderness. Along the 6,000 miles of track he created wealth of $5 billion in land values, having provided for 400,000 farms on 65 million acres. This was done between 1880-1893 with no Federal or State money. He introduced livestock to these farms and imported blood stock. He had men show the farmers how to raise more wheat, and established cheap rates for rail and steamship for the transport of the grain. Hill organized a fleet of steamships for the commercial invasion of Japan and China and made possible trade between Buffalo, NY to the Far East. Hill was known to believe in low grades, heavy power, large capacity cars and big trainloads. Besides being president of the Great Northern Railway form 1889-1912, he controlled the First National Bank and the Northwestern Trust Company. He also helped to get Armour and Company to locate in south St. Paul. He arranged for Wall Street to purchase $500,000,000 of foreign bonds to help the allies in 1915. He also personally gave money to King Albert of Belgium to help the country after the Germans invaded it. Hill was worth an estimated $200 to $250 million when he died.

Hill was the son of a farmer in Ontario, Canada. At 18 he moved to St. Paul, Minn., and took a job as a clerk with a steamship company. In 1873 he and a partner took over the bankrupt St. Louis and Pacific Railway. This line was reorganized in 1879 as the St. Paul, Minnesota and Manitoba Railway, with Hill as General Manager; in 1883 he became its President. Hill extended his rail line into the Great Northwest and opened it up to commerce. He amassed a fortune, estimated at between 200 to 250 million dollars at his death.