Ramsey County History – Spring 1990: “Railroader as Yachtsman: James J. Hill and the Wacouta of St. Paul”

Railroader as Yachtsman: James J. Hill and the Wacouta of St. Paul

Author: Thomas C. Buckley

In 1900 the meticulous and demanding James J. Hill bought a yacht. He bought it used for less than the asking price and ran it cheaper than the previous owners, and still made it a vessel of stunning luxury and performance. This article describes in detail the purchase, operation (including wages, uniforms, and menus), renovations, and voyages of the Wacouta, providing along the way insight into what it must have been to work for Hill (maddening.) Hill ran the ship mainly in the Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence River for fishing trips, and Atlantic coast excursions. On the fishing trips once the Wacouta had reached its destination “the yacht largely served as a floating packing plant.” The Hill family sold the ship after the old man died in 1916. She went on to have an eventful life-after-Hill. See “The Wacouta in Two World Wars” below.

PDF of Buckley article