James J. Hill

Born James Jerome Hill in 1838 near Rockwood, Ontario, Canada, J. J. Hill became known as 'The Empire Builder' by the time of his death in 1916. Beginning his business career after his arrival in Saint Paul, Minnesota in 1856 he became involved in several businesses, a river steamboat line based in Winnipeg, Canada and with the formation of a fuel company to supply coal to the railroads. Between 1856 and 1878 he concentrated on the steamboat trade along the Mississippi and Red rivers along with the warehousing and fuel businesses. In 1878 Hill and several associates purchased the Saint…