Celebrating History: Empire Builder passes to beyond

By Emily Mayer

Havre newspapers 100 years ago carried the sad news that James J. Hill, namesake of our county, had passed away. A very large article was published on the front page of The Havre Plaindealer’s June 3, 1916 issue. After the headline, the first three paragraphs read:

GREAT “EMPIRE BUILDER” PASSES TO THE BEYOND

James J. Hill, the King of Financiers Dies at His Home in St. Paul

At his home in St. Paul last Monday morning occurred the death of Jas. J. Hill, founder of the Great Northern railroad and allied interests.

Funeral services for the “Empire Builder”, as he as appropriately termed, were held at the Hill home in St. Paul on Wednesday afternoon of this week. During the funeral hour the wheels were stopped not alone on the G. N. lines but other avenues which Mr. Hill’s master mind had developed.

In Havre, where Mr. Hill was revered as perhaps no other man, appropriate tribute was paid. All business houses were closed from 1 to 2 p.m., and memorial services were held at the Hill county court house.

The article continues with a biography of his early years, stating that he had planned to study medicine but, due to the death of his father, he quit school to go to work at a country store. After immigrating to the United States and traveling from the East coast to Minnesota, he decided St. Paul was the place to be and secured a job as a shipping clerk at a riverboat shipping company, later engaging in the general transportation and fuel business. The St. Paul and Pacific railroad had started building its line and it so happened a portion of it had been built near the steamboat shipping company Hill was working for. Seeing, this, Mr. Hill became a station agent for the railroad company.

Seeing more opportunity, he formed a fuel and warehousing company for operating a line of steamboats and was the first to place mineral coal on the market in St. Paul. In 1877, Hill and associates took control of the St. Paul and Pacific Railroad and two years later changed the name to St. Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba Railway company. He became general manager, vice-president in 1882 and the following year became president. Under his leadership, he had expanded the railway company to the West Coast, as well as the Northwestern Trust company (a financial institution), a director for four other financial firms and a director of the Burlington railroad line.

The article also makes small mention of James Hill’s efforts in development of the lands surrounding his railroad line, which is too bad as had it not been for his advertising efforts enticing people to take out a homestead, many of us would probably not be here calling Havre home. His influence is undeniable and can still be felt today.

While he officially retired from the Great Northern Railroad in 1907, there is no doubt that he was helping his son and successors in the “See America First” campaign, enticing people to take a trip to see Glacier National Park and the firm’s building of the glorious chalets that still stand today.

It is said that Havre was the apple of Jim Hill’s eye, but like a wayward child in need of a good scolding for bad behavior, didn’t shirk to order its citizens to clean up its act — at least on the surface — so he could get “good people” to come and settle in the Montana frontier town, stay and set up home and business. We did and were better off for it.

The Hill County Democrat did not run a large article, but J. K. Bramble dedicated space in his editorial section to praise Hill.

In other news, the Democrat’s “Local News” section carried this short paragraph:

The furniture for the lodge room of the Masonic temple has arrived and is being installed. Lodge will be held for the first time tonight.

The Democrat also had this article on its front page:

Havre To Have A Big Federal Building

Washington, D. C., June 1.—Senator Myers today introduced a bill for a federal building at Havre to cost $150,000. Senate has passed Myer’s bill to validate declarations of intentions to become citizens of the United States by persons in Cascade, Choteau, Teton, Hill, Blaine and Valley counties. The bill affects between 200 and 300 residents in northern counties who have filed on land.

The Plaindealer’s “Society” column contained this entry:

Shower for Bride Elect.

The largest social event of the week was given on Monday evening when Miss Zaida Hutchinson entertained at a miscellaneous shower for Miss Leora Ellinghouse, whose marriage to Mr. Playton Jones takes place June 21st.

The rooms of the Hutchinson home were beautified with potted plants and cut flowers, pink and white being used in the color scheme. The gifts were placed in a pink and white parasol and, late in the evening, these were showered upon the bride-elect and, when opened, found to contain many pretty and useful gifts in linen, cut glass, china and silver.

during the evening the guests found amusement in writing advices for the bride, which were not to be opened until after the wedding, and in hemming tea-towels. In the dining-room, dainty pink hearts marked the places and fortune telling favors were used.

sixteen of the intimate friends of the bride-to-be were the guests of Miss Hutchinson.