James J. Hill: Empire Builder of the Northwest (The Oklahoma Western Biographies Book 12)

Still, Harrison believed in a key message: The transportation infrastructure of North America is vital to the well-being of the continent. Without freight railroads, the economy would be crippled, so why not make them the best? He was all about being the best. Why couldn’t everybody else be?

It’s hard to over-emphasize the impact railroads have had in the United States and Canada. In the US, they opened up the west and connected the huge population centers of the east, providing a transportation network to service the world’s largest economy. Canadian Pacific Railway helped forge a nation, not only tying it together but encouraging set

When talks with existing line owners proved fruitless, Flagler did what anyone with his resources might: he ponied up half a million dollars and bought the railroad.

In any case, the Panama Canal was sure to be built one day, Flagler told Browne, while Plant’s imported symphony played and opera stars sang, and the nearest deep-water port in the United States was sure to have an enormous advantage. It soon became clear, Browne recalled, that Flagler was seeking Browne’s assistance in seeing that the existing gov