Louis W. Hill

Louis Warren Hill
Hill about 1909
Born (1872-05-19)May 19, 1872
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Died April 27, 1948(1948-04-27) (aged 75)
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Nationality American
Occupation President of Great Northern Railway
Spouse(s) Maud Van Cortlandt Taylor
Children 4

Louis Warren Hill (May 19, 1872– April 27, 1948), was an American railroad executive. He was the president and board chairman of the Great Northern Railway, which served a substantial area of the Upper Midwest, the northern Great Plains, and Pacific Northwest.

Life

Family Roots

The third of James J. Hill and Mary Mehegan Hill’s ten children, Louis Warren Hill was born in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1872. He, along with his older brother James, was schooled at home before attending Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire and Yale University.

He began working for his father at the Great Northern Railway Company immediately after graduation and began pursuit of his own ultimately extremely successful investments in iron mining in northeastern Minnesota. While the eldest Hill son James had been groomed as their father’s successor, Louis’s capable management of a Great Northern extension over the Rockies in 1901 moved him into position as heir to the Hill business empire.

Marriage

In 1901 Louis married Maud Van Cortlandt Taylor, child of a well-known New York family. The couple moved into a large home next door to James J. and Mary Hill on Summit Avenue in St. Paul and together had four children: Louis Warren Jr., James Jerome II (always called Jerome), Maud Van Cortlandt and Cortlandt Taylor. The family traveled the United States and the world and spent much of their time at North Oaks Farm, just north of St. Paul, where Louis built a chalet-style retreat.

Work

Hill (wearing a broad striped blanket coat) in a group watching the 1916 Saint Paul Winter Carnival parade from the steps of the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul, Minnesota

Great Northern Railway

In the middle of the first decade after 1900, Louis began to take over management of the Great Northern Railway. He was named president in 1907 and board chairman in 1912, although his father James continued to retain much control until his death in 1916. Louis expanded his interests far beyond railroads: he was at the forefront of the oil and auto transport industries and was a major player in land development in Montana and California, in finance, and in copper mining.

Glacier National Park

One of Louis’ greatest legacies was his enthusiastic promotion of tourism and the national park system. He maintained an interest in the American Indian tribes of Montana and became a collector of Blackfoot material, now housed in the Science Museum of Minnesota. He was a major force in the creation, promotion, and development of Glacier National Park in Montana, where he played an integral part in the construction of several resorts including Glacier Park Hotel and Many Glacier Hotel in Montana, U.S.A and the Prince of Wales hotel in Waterton, Canada.[1] He had a summer home built in Waterton by Doug Oland, one of the principal builders for the Prince of Wales. Neither he nor his family were ever known to occupy the residence. The home was completed in August 1928 and renamed Northland Lodge after it was acquired by Hugh Black and Earl and Bessie Hacking in 1948.[2]

References

  1. ↑ Djuff, Ray (2009). High on a Windy Hill (3rd ed.). Surrey, BC: Rocky Mountain Books. pp. 30–38. ISBN 978-0-921102-71-7.
  2. ↑ Djuff, Ray (2009). High on a Windy Hill (3rd ed.). Surrey, BC: Rocky Mountain Books. pp. 100–102. ISBN 978-0-921102-71-7.

Primary Sources

Secondary Sources

  • Bottomly-O’looney, Jennifer and Deirdre Shaw. (Summer, 2010). "Glacier National Park: People, a Playground, and a Park." Montana The Magazine of Western History.
  • Desch, Heidi. "Louis Hill Left a Legacy in the Park." Hungry Horse News. (March 2, 2015).[1]
  • Djuff, Ray and Mike Morrison. (2001). Glacier's Historic Hotels & Chalets: View with a Room. Farcountry Press.
  • Guthrie, C. W. (2008). Glacier National Park. The First 100 Years. Farcountry Press.
  • Jamison, Michael. "Parallel tracks: Glacier National Park born from Great Northern Railway." Missoulian. (March 28, 2010).[2]
  • "The Historic Belton Chalet Built by the Great Northern Railway in 1910." [3]
  • Young, Biloine W., and Eileen McCormack, The Dutiful Son: Louis W. Hill, Life in the Shadow of the Empire Builder, James J. Hill, St. Paul, MN.: Ramsey County Historical Society, 2010. ISBN 978-0-934294-71-3

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