NCW Libraries

"He was known as 'The Empire Builder' and 'The Devil's Curse'. Streets, towns and counties were named in his honor along with a persistent and invasive weed. He was mythologized in novels and was the target of union battle cries. In households across America, James J. Hill was as well-known as any industrial leader of his day -- yet today he is largely unknown. When the railroad ushered in one of the most transformative eras in American history, James...