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This 4-episode documentary series captures the compelling story of James J. Hill and the Great Northern Railway.
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 J. Hill emerged as its unrivaled leader. Building a transportation empire that stretched across North America and to the Orient, he was a catalyst for the agriculture, timber and mining industries of the West and settled tens of thousands of immigrants along his lines.
As the pendulum swung from the Gilded Age to the Progressive Era, Hill was a lightning rod for the most impactful issues of the day: immigration, settling the West, government regulations, market manipulation, trust-busting, Native American displacement, environmental stewardship as well as redefining our nation's political and financial role on the global stage.
James J. Hill is simply one of the most fascinating individuals in American history you may never have heard of.
Running time: 244 minutes