Review – THE GREAT NORTHERN RAILWAY: A HISTORY
Posted on March 8th, 2010
Ralph W. Hidy, et al
University of Minnesota Press, March 2004
ISBN: 0816644292
Paperback: 360 pp; $29.95
The Great Northern Railway: A History is an immensely readable story of regional railway development and entrepreneurial adventure in 19th and 20th century America. This well-written and generously illustrated history—supplemented with tables, appendixes, and endnotes—was originally published in 1988 under the Harvard Business School Press imprint. That earlier single volume hardcover edition was a reader-friendly abridgment of an expansive two-volume edition prepared principally for scholars and researchers. The abridged version has now been republished in paperback by University of Minnesota Press and is available for general interest readers and history specialists.
The fascinating American success-story adventure in The Great Northern Railway: A History—presented by the authors in clear and efficient prose—begins in 1849. The Minnesota territory has just been organized, and a challenging western frontier waits beyond the Mississippi River in Saint Paul. The vast northern American region, extending all the way to Seattle, remains empty and waiting for settlement and development. Enter now a group of visionary 19th century businessmen ready to build a new railway and to exploit the frontier’s potential. After a few years of turbulent planning and financing, the first ten miles of tracks are installed, and service to rail passengers and freight traffic begins on June 28, 1862. Benign and hostile forces of economics, politics, technology, climate, and geography combine in the following century to create the progressive, difficult, and sometimes tragic history of the ways in which the first ten miles of track ultimately becomes the railway giant of the American north. Along with empire-builders James Jerome Hill and (his son) Louis W. Hill as well as John M. Budd and (his son) Ralph Budd, thousands of railway entrepreneurs, managers, and laborers leave their imprint on the different railroad companies that ultimately combine to become the Burlington Northern on March 3, 1970. This book is their story.
The Great Northern Railway: A History is a wonderfully detailed and intriguing story of railway workers, business tycoons, government officials, and millions of American men and women affected by the railway’s progress. The book never fails to entertain and inform. Readers who enjoy reading about American history, business, technology, transportation, and specifically—of course—railroads will want to check out this comprehensive yet easy-to-read history.
Tags: American Success Story, Business School Press, Empire Builders, Great Northern Railway, Harvard Business School, Harvard Business School Press, Hidy, History Specialists, Interest Readers, James Jerome, Jerome Hill, John M Budd, Minnesota Territory, Rail Passengers, Railway Development, Readable Story, Son Ralph, Story Adventure, University Of Minnesota Press, Western Frontier
Filed under News and Reviews |
Comments are closed.