JJ Hill's History

great northern rail yard

James Jerome Hill

JJ Hills Portrait JJ Hills Fresh Grill Restaurant is named for James Jerome Hill, the “Empire Builder” who first brought the railroad through Leavenworth.

Arguably the most colorful of all transcontinental railroads was the Great Northern. Even today, more than 30 years after the merger with the Burlington Northern, the “Big G” is still a favorite of railroad fans the world over.

Many towns and cities owe their very existence to James J. Hill’s driving ambition to forge through the Cascade Mountains in order to complete his dream of a northern transcontinental railroad.

Leavenworth is just such a town. Built solely around the Great Northern Railroad’s east side entrance to the Cascade Mountains, the town was platted in 1893 by a group of financiers headed by “Captain” Charles F. Leavenworth. From the very beginning the heart of the town was the Great Northern Railroad with its depot and roundhouse. For years Leavenworth prospered due to railroad money in the form of employees hired for construction through the Cascades. With the employees came their families and families needed schools, churches, and all numbers of daily household goods. The railroad required timber for their rails and bridges. Because of the railroad the abundance of timber in the Northwest could now reach the unquenchable markets in the Midwest and East coast. A large lumber mill was built adjacent to the railroad for convenience in shipping.

Leavenworth’s place in history is truly owed to the legendary railroad tycoon, James J. Hill.
Leavenworth Entrance
Pictoral Past Tumwater Canyon
Leavenworth Train Station

ADVENTURE IN LEAVENWORTH AWAITS

EXPERIENCE GERMAN CUISINE AND LOCALLY BREWED BEERS, AND QUAINT SHOPS.

couple biking
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