What would have happened if Edward Harriman of the Union Pacific had won control of the Northern Pacific Railway during the famous stock raid known as the Northern Pacific Corner in 1901 over James J. Hill of the Great Northern? Both the NP and the GN had significant financial interest in the Burlington and both Harriman and Hill were vying for control of the NP to ultimately gain control of the Burlington so that their respective systems would have direct access to Chicago for connections to eastern railroads. If Harriman had prevailed over Hill for the Northern Pacific, where would the Burlington have gone? Could it have been broken up between the GN and the NP or possibly run jointly between the two? What would have come of the C&NW and the Milwaukee Road and would Milwaukee reconsider embarking on their line to the Puget Sound? Where would all of these railroads be today?
Railroad Forums
Hill, Harriman and the Northern Pacific Railway in 1901
- Discussion relating to the Burlington Northern and its predecessors Great Northern, Northern Pacific, Chicago Burlington & Quincy, Seattle Portland & Seattle, St. Louis - San Francisco, and their subsidiaries. Visit the Friends of the Burlington Northern for more information.
