James J. Hill: Empire Builder of the Northwest Volume 12

by Michael P. Malone

Book Overview

In this volume, Michael P. Malone provides a succinct interpretive biography of James J. Hill, the "Empire Builder"-so called for his work in developing the region of the United States between the Great Lakes and the Pacific Northwest. Malone explores Hill's complex life and personality, his activities and interests, and recreates both the story of the railroad race to the Pacific and the complex interactions involved in the development of the region...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0806128607
• ISBN13: 9780806128603
• Release Date: January 1997
• Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.87 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.5" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Great Book !

A new favorite of our staff..and recomended to our members who would like to understand the Northwest in a brand new light. Malone is an excellent writer and this book a gem !

A good brief bio of the Empire Builder

Malone's book is a good introduction for people interested in the early history of the Northwest, the Great Northern Railway, and the man who greatly influenced both. While not as detailed as Martin's 1976 bio, Martin's is at least twice as long and too tedious for many readers. Both Martin and Malone had access to the James J. Hill papers, a collection of almost every business paper Hill ever handled that is located in the Hill Reference Library in St. Paul, MN. Except for Pyle, previous Hill biographers and railroad historians did not see those papers, such much of what they say is more rumor than fact. Malone (and Martin) set the stories straight.