Early years
On May 25, 1878, U.S. Army officer and civil engineer Frederick Mears was born in Omaha, Nebraska. His father, Frederick J. Mears, was a career Army cavalry officer, and the Mears family lived in a number of military posts in the American West toward the end of the Indian Wars period after the Civil War.
Mears was sent to and did well at the Shattuck Military School, which his father also attended. Shattuck is located in Faribault, Minnesota (although it is no longer a military...
Background
In 1811, the town of Astoria, Oregon Territory was founded at the mouth of the Columbia River. Because of its location, many of the town’s civic and business leaders thought Astoria would become a key port. However, once ships entered the Columbia River, the majority of them continued upriver to Portland.
While Astoria was founded in a beautiful area on the Oregon coast, it was isolated from much of the rest of the territory (and later the state). Since the town would not become a...
This past Sunday was the 174th anniversary (February 20, 1848) of the birth of Edward Henry Harriman.
Early career and start in railroading
Born on Long Island, New York, Harriman was the son of a minister. Although he was a very good student, he left school in 1861 at the age of 13 to work on Wall Street. Harriman began as an office boy, but worked his way up to be the managing clerk of an investment firm. Thanks to a loan from his uncle, Harriman purchased a seat on the New York Stock...
Born on a farm near Waterloo, Iowa, on August 20, 1879, Ralph Budd became a key railroad executive later in his life. Budd graduated from high school and college in only six years, earning a bachelor’s degree in science and civil engineering.
His first job was with the Chicago Great Western Railroad. Budd began his career as a draftsman in the railroad’s divisional engineering office.
Mentor John Frank Stevens
Budd joined the Chicago, Rock Island and...
There are many people interested in former transportation companies, whether they were trucking companies, railroads, airlines or ocean lines. These companies are called “fallen flags,” and the term describes companies whose corporate names have been dissolved through merger, bankruptcy or liquidation.
In Part 1 of this article the early history of what became the Great Northern Railway was the focus. In Part 2, an overview of Great Northern’s history in the 20th century is the focus.
There are many people interested in former transportation companies, whether they were trucking companies, railroads, airlines or ocean lines. These companies are called “fallen flags,” and the term describes companies whose corporate names have been dissolved through merger, bankruptcy or liquidation.
The Great Northern Railway (GN) employed thousands of people, but it was really the product of one man – James Jerome Hill. Known as the “Empire Builder,” over nearly 40 years Hill put together...