Michael James Heney
Michael James (MJ) Heney was a railroad contractor of international renown, best known for his work on the first two railroads built in Alaska, the White Pass and Yukon Route and the Copper River and Northwestern Railway. The son of Irish immigrants, Heney rose to the top of his profession before his tragic death. His life inspired several books and at least one movie.
Early Life
Michael James Heney was born on October 24, 1864, near Stonecliffe, Ontario. He was the son of Thomas Eugene Heney and Mary Ann McCourt, Irish immigrants. His family farmed in the upper Ottawa Valley.
At age 14, Heney ran away from home to work on the Canadian Pacific Railway. Though the boy was soon found and brought home by an older brother, he stayed only until 1882, when he left home to work on the Canadian Pacific Railway in Manitoba. He started as a mule skinner and gradually worked his way up through all the aspects of construction. In 1883 he was included in a survey crew, spending the next three years learning more about construction as the Canadian Pacific Railway worked its way through the mountains of British Columbia.
At 21, Heney was ready to set up as an independent contractor. He returned east to earn the engineering degree his father wanted him to have, but was too impatient and was soon back in the west. By 1887 he had moved his operations to Seattle, working on the final stages of the Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway. The career of the "boy contractor" was launched. Many construction projects in Washington, British Columbia and Alaska followed.
Building Railroads in Alaska
When the Klondike Gold Rush came, Heney was ready. He visited the Skagway area to survey potential routes to the interior. By chance, he met representatives of London financiers also looking to build through the White Pass. A deal was struck and Heney was hired, first as labor foreman and then as contractor. Built through mountainous wilderness, far from supplies, using labor that was itching to leave for the gold fields, the 110 mile [White Pass and Yukon Route] was an outstanding achievement and gained Heney an international reputation.
Heney next turned his attention to the copper and coal deposits recently discover on the Copper River (Alaska). He surveyed a route, bought land, named the city of Cordova, Alaska and started construction, while rival companies built on different lines. The dramatic conflicts between the various crews included gunfire and dynamited passes. The Guggenheims and J.P. Morgan owned the ore deposits. When the other routes proved impassable, they bought out Heney's work for $250,000 and later appointed him contractor. The Copper River and Northwestern Railway was one of the most difficult construction projects ever undertaken. The line crossed two glaciers, under primitive conditions, far from any supplies. The Million Dollar Bridge, which is between the two glaciers, was completed just hours before the spring ice would have destroyed it.
At the pinnacle of his career, Heney left Cordova to complete some business arrangements in Seattle. On his way back north, his ship hit an uncharted rock and sank. Heney lead the rescue operations, but there was no room in the last boat, so he held on to the stern while it was rowed ashore. He developed pulmonary tuberculosis as a result and died a year later. He is buried in Seattle.
Widely popular, Heney was known as "Big Mike" or "The Irish Prince of Alaska". A glacier, mountain and range of mountains in Alaska bear his name.
External links
Resources
- Whiting, Fenton B. (1933). Grit, Grief and Gold: a true narrative of an Alaska pathfinder, Seattle: Peacock Publishing Company.
- Minter, Roy (1988). The White Pass: Gateway to the Klondike, Anchorage: University of Alaska Press.
- Herron, Edward A. (1960 ). Alaska's Railroad Builder : Mike Heney, New York: Messner.
- Beach, Rex (1913) The Iron Trail: an Alaskan romance, New York: Harper Bros.
- Tower Elizabeth A. (2003). Big Mike Heney : Irish prince of the Iron Rails, Builder of the White Pass and Yukon and Copper River Northwestern Railroads, Anchorage, Alaska: Publication Consultants.
- Janson, Lone E (1975). The Copper Spike, Seattle: Alaska Northwest Publishing Company.
- Graves, S.H. (1908). On the White Pass Payroll, Chicago.
