8/31/2008:
Born on an Iowa farm in 1879, Ralph Budd played an important role in North Dakota’s early rail transportation and tourism.
Graduating from college with a civil engineering degree at the age of 19, Ralph Budd became the youngest chief executive of a railroad when he was named president of the Great Northern at the age of 40.
As president, Budd was the first to promote the site of Fort Union as a tourist attraction and the first to plan a reconstruction of the site. He was also responsible for the erection of the David Thompson Monument and under his direction the town of Felsen, North Dakota had its name changed to Verendrye.
After dedicating a lifetime to railroads and the history of the Northwest, Ralph Budd retired on this day, August 31, 1949.
Sources:
Matzko, John. Reconstructing Fort Union: University of Nebraska Press, 2002.
"Steamliners: America’s Lost Trains", PBS Online: American Experience http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/streamliners/peopleevents/p_rbudd.html