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James J. Hill: A Great Life in Brief
James J. Hill, the "Empire Builder," (1838-1916) was a Canadian-American railroad executive with the Great Northern Railway, responsible for building railways across the northern US. Part visionary, part robber baron, part buccaneer, Stewart Holbrook brings his story to life, in brief, as well as the lives of the other movers and shakers in the railway scene of the times.
180 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 15, 2018
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About the author
Stewart H. Holbrook
63 books9 followersStewart Hall Holbrook (1893 - 1964) was an American lumberjack, writer, and popular historian. His writings focused on what he called the "Far Corner" - Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. A self-proclaimed "low-brow" historian, his topics included Ethan Allen, the railroads, the timber industry, the Wobblies, and eccentrics of the Pacific Northwest.
He wrote for The Oregonian for over thirty years, and authored dozens of books. He also produced a number of paintings under the pseudonym of "Mr. Otis."
He wrote for The Oregonian for over thirty years, and authored dozens of books. He also produced a number of paintings under the pseudonym of "Mr. Otis."
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
May 30, 2019
"Offhand it is difficult to think of another American who had quite so much direct influence on quite so large a region."
Having visiting the James J. Hill house a couple times and having lived my whole life in Minnesota, I was naturally intrigued by this little, old book.
It was kind of disappointing, though. At least half of the book is a fairly laborious account of all the different railroad activities that Hill (or his contemporaries) was involved in. The names of the railroad companies were so many and were so constantly changing that it was hard to keep up. Combined the the rapid-fire mention of places and people, the first several chapters were just a blur of proper names. I got the gist of what happened, but it was a little tedious.
Very little is said about Hill's personal life. The author mentions his wife only when he talks about Hill getting married and it's barely more than a footnote. The information about his kids (other than the two that follow in the railroad business) reads like what you find in an obituary "survived by" section.
What the author did choose to include often felt random and irrelevant. Pages are devoted to endeavors that sometimes barely related to Hill and profiles of other businessmen got more space than seems warranted in a brief biography of Hill.
Overall, I did find it interesting. It was fun to read about places like Wayzata, Fergus Falls, Lake Minnetonka and, of course, St. Paul and Minneapolis and I didn't realize that it was James J. Hill that built the Stone Arch Bridge. I also didn't know how involved in and knowledgable of agriculture Hill was.
While his skill with business is most clearly demonstrated, you also do get some bits and pieces of his personality as well. I would have liked to learn more about his life, not just his businesses, though. The composition didn't feel very cohesive and I expected more from this work, being part of series that attempts to tackle, in the author's words, less than a full biography but more than an entry in an encyclopedia. I would still recommend it for anyone interested in Hill, the railroad or Minnesota history.
Having visiting the James J. Hill house a couple times and having lived my whole life in Minnesota, I was naturally intrigued by this little, old book.
It was kind of disappointing, though. At least half of the book is a fairly laborious account of all the different railroad activities that Hill (or his contemporaries) was involved in. The names of the railroad companies were so many and were so constantly changing that it was hard to keep up. Combined the the rapid-fire mention of places and people, the first several chapters were just a blur of proper names. I got the gist of what happened, but it was a little tedious.
Very little is said about Hill's personal life. The author mentions his wife only when he talks about Hill getting married and it's barely more than a footnote. The information about his kids (other than the two that follow in the railroad business) reads like what you find in an obituary "survived by" section.
What the author did choose to include often felt random and irrelevant. Pages are devoted to endeavors that sometimes barely related to Hill and profiles of other businessmen got more space than seems warranted in a brief biography of Hill.
Overall, I did find it interesting. It was fun to read about places like Wayzata, Fergus Falls, Lake Minnetonka and, of course, St. Paul and Minneapolis and I didn't realize that it was James J. Hill that built the Stone Arch Bridge. I also didn't know how involved in and knowledgable of agriculture Hill was.
While his skill with business is most clearly demonstrated, you also do get some bits and pieces of his personality as well. I would have liked to learn more about his life, not just his businesses, though. The composition didn't feel very cohesive and I expected more from this work, being part of series that attempts to tackle, in the author's words, less than a full biography but more than an entry in an encyclopedia. I would still recommend it for anyone interested in Hill, the railroad or Minnesota history.
Displaying 1 of 1 review