The Empire Builder: James J. Hill and the Great Northern Railway

At age 17, James J. Hill leaves Canada and settles in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1856. Over the next 20 years, he immerses himself in the Mississippi River trade.

Hill takes the biggest gamble of his career. He decides to build West, despite transcontinentals to the north and south.

Hill opens trade with Asia, turning Seattle into a major port city. Immigrants settle in MT and ND. Hill faces Harriman in Last Great Railroad War.