ARTICLES
I am a regular contributor to Ramsey County History Magazine. All articles are available online – click the title to open a PDF of the article. The magazine is published quarterly by Ramsey County Historical Society.
- Closing the Book: The James Jerome Hill Reference Library, 1921-2021 (Fall 2021).
- Women and Children First: The Volunteers of America and Louis W. Hill Build Fresh Air Rest Camp (with Aine C. McCormack, Spring 2020).
- The Tazewell: 100 Years in the Life of a St. Paul Apartment (with Aine C. McCormack, Winter 2019).
- ALLY People Solutions: 50 Years of Service to Individuals and the Community (Fall 2015). The story of ALLY People Solutions for their 50th anniversary of training adults with intellectual, physical, and mental challenges in employment and life skills.
- He Was a Dear Friend, Robert C. Minor: Steward on James J. Hill’s Private Railway Car (Winter 2015). A look at the life of Great Northern Railway employee, Robert C. Minor, who served for 20 years as the steward on James J. Hill’s private rail car.
- A Gentle, Kind Spirit Whose Life Was Art: Jean Sanborn Gross, Artist & Printmaker (Spring 2011). A look at the life of Jean Sanborn Gross, daughter of Helen and Judge John B. Sanborn, who studied drawing and printmaking at the Saint Paul Gallery & School of Art.
- He Had a Great Flair For Color: Louis W. Hill and Glacier Park (Summer 2010). Written with Bilone W. Young, this looks at Louis Hill’s development and promotion of Glacier National Park. (excerpted from The Dutiful Son: Louis W. Hill)
- Mary Hill’s Lowertown: 1867-1891 (Spring 2006). Mary Mehegan Hill, wife of James J. Hill, lived most of her early life in Saint Paul’s Lowertown. This article covers her life there where all her children were born, her friends and neighbors, and Saint Mary’s Church. Narrative gives a brief look at an early Saint Paul neighborhood, eventually supplanted by commercial development.
- The 146-Year History of the Louis Hill House (Winter 2003). The homes on Summit Avenue have received a great deal of study and attention, but this article looks at the earlier history of the plot of land, at 260 Summit, where the Louis Hill home stands.
Additional articles:
“Hill Family at North Oaks 1883-1893.” A series of four articles. Hill Farm Historical Society Newsletter, (2003-2004). Copies available upon request.
“Glacier Park: A Hill Family Affair.” The Inside Trail, (Fall 2004). The Glacier Park Foundation. Available here.
DIGITAL
“Minnesota Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities: Forty-Five Years of History 1971-2016.” Nine chronological history articles for their website, Council on Developmental Disabilities. (2016-2017).
“Founding of Clontarf Minnesota.” An overview of Clontarf, a Western Minnesota railroad community settled in the late 1870s. MNOPEDIA, (August 19, 2015).
“Mary Theresa Mehegan Hill 1846-1921.” Profile of pioneer Irish American settler of Saint Paul, Minnesota and wife of James J. Hill. MNOPEDIA, (September 2, 1915).
BOOKS
History of the Philanthropy of the James J. Hill Family. Hill Family Foundations. Private Publication (2017).A comprehensive exploration of the rich history of philanthropy in the Hill family, with an emphasis on the continuing work through the various family foundations.
SEA Winter Salmon: Chronicles of the St. John River tells the continuing story of James J. Hill’s salmon fishing camp in Quebec. Eileen McCormack was responsible for writing the early (1900-1920s), James Hill era history. Linda Leith Publishing, Westmount, Quebec (2015)
Louis Hill comes out of the shadow of his father, James J. Hill, in the extensively researched and carefully written biography, The Dutiful Son: Louis W. Hill. Biloine Young is the author and Eileen McCormack the researcher for this compelling look at the life of Louis Hill.
Grotto Foundation: Celebrating Fifty Years of Service 1964-2014, written and researched by Eileen McCormack to document the first 50 years of Louis W. Hill, Jr.’s Grotto Foundation. Grotto Foundation, Saint Paul, Minnesota (2014)
The 2012 Year In Review: Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies documented the first year of the Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies. Conceived and produced by Eileen McCormack and foundation staff. Self-published for internal use only: Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies, Minneapolis, Minnesota (2013)