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Iron Trail
The Iron Trail is a romantic and exciting adventurous book by Rex Beach based in Alaska then moves forward to business and politics. The "Irish Prince," Murray O'Neil, will be introduced to you in this tale. He intends to construct a railway between two glaciers up the Salmon River into Alaska, a gigantic feat of engineering against fierce competition and with no assistance from the federal government. In his vision of building a railway, O'Neil meets with a young woman whom he saves from a shipwreck. This angle will build a romantic connection in this story and later a business and political nature will develop. But, How will O'Neil build a railway? Will he get successful? If he will be successful then, what will happen to his love? Are they going to be together in the future? To find answers to these questions, readers should go through the unique collection of ideas by Rex Beach!
- GenresAdventure
296 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1913
About the author
Rex Beach
229 books7 followersRex Ellingwood Beach was born in Atwood, Michigan to a prominent family and pursued a career as a lawyer before being drawn to Alaska at the time of the Klondike Gold Rush. After five years of unsuccessful prospecting, he turned to writing.
His first novel, The Spoilers, was based on a true story of corrupt government officials stealing gold mines from prospectors, which he witnessed while he was prospecting in Nome, Alaska. It became one of the best selling novels of 1906.
His adventure novels, influenced by Jack London, were immensely popular throughout the early 1900s. Beach was lionized as the "Victor Hugo of the North," but others found his novels formulaic and predictable. Critics described them as cut from the "he-man school" of literature: stories of "strong hairy men doing strong hairy deeds." Alaska historian Stephen Haycox has said many of Beach's works are "mercifully forgotten today."
One such potboiler, The Silver Horde (1909), is set in Kalvik, a fictionalized community in Bristol Bay, Alaska, and tells the story of a down on his luck gold miner who discovers a greater wealth in Alaska's run of salmon (silver horde) and decides to open a cannery. To accomplish this he must overcome the relentless opposition of the "salmon trust," a fictionalized Alaska Packers' Association, which undercuts his financing, sabotages his equipment, incites a longshoremen's riot and bribes his fishermen to quit. The story line includes a love interest as the protagonist is forced to choose between his fiance, a spoiled banker's daughter, and an earnest roadhouse operator, a woman of "questionable virtue." Real life cannery superintendent Crescent Porter Hale has been credited with being the inspiration of The Silver Horde but it's unlikely Beach and Hale ever met.
After success in literature, many of his works were adapted into successful films; The Spoilers became a stage play, then was remade into movies five times from 1914 to 1955, with Gary Cooper and John Wayne each playing "Roy Glennister" in 1930 and 1942, respectively. The Silver Horde was twice made into a movie, as a silent film in 1920 starring Myrtle Stedman, Curtis Cooksey and Betty Blythe and directed by Frank Lloyd; and a talkie in 1930 that starred Jean Arthur, Joel McCrea and Evelyn Brent and was directed by George Archainbaud.
Beach occasionally produced his films and also wrote a number of plays to varying success. In 1949, two years after the death of his wife Edith, Beach committed suicide in Sebring, Florida at the age of 71. In 2005, when the home Beach lived in was remodeled, a bullet was found in the wall, believed to be the bullet that ended his life.
Beach served as the first president of the Rollins College Alumni Association. He and his wife are buried in front of the Alumni house. Beach, and his most famous novel, were commemorated in 2009 by the naming of a walking/bike trail in Dobbs Ferry, NY, where he once resided, called "Spoilers Run".
His first novel, The Spoilers, was based on a true story of corrupt government officials stealing gold mines from prospectors, which he witnessed while he was prospecting in Nome, Alaska. It became one of the best selling novels of 1906.
His adventure novels, influenced by Jack London, were immensely popular throughout the early 1900s. Beach was lionized as the "Victor Hugo of the North," but others found his novels formulaic and predictable. Critics described them as cut from the "he-man school" of literature: stories of "strong hairy men doing strong hairy deeds." Alaska historian Stephen Haycox has said many of Beach's works are "mercifully forgotten today."
One such potboiler, The Silver Horde (1909), is set in Kalvik, a fictionalized community in Bristol Bay, Alaska, and tells the story of a down on his luck gold miner who discovers a greater wealth in Alaska's run of salmon (silver horde) and decides to open a cannery. To accomplish this he must overcome the relentless opposition of the "salmon trust," a fictionalized Alaska Packers' Association, which undercuts his financing, sabotages his equipment, incites a longshoremen's riot and bribes his fishermen to quit. The story line includes a love interest as the protagonist is forced to choose between his fiance, a spoiled banker's daughter, and an earnest roadhouse operator, a woman of "questionable virtue." Real life cannery superintendent Crescent Porter Hale has been credited with being the inspiration of The Silver Horde but it's unlikely Beach and Hale ever met.
After success in literature, many of his works were adapted into successful films; The Spoilers became a stage play, then was remade into movies five times from 1914 to 1955, with Gary Cooper and John Wayne each playing "Roy Glennister" in 1930 and 1942, respectively. The Silver Horde was twice made into a movie, as a silent film in 1920 starring Myrtle Stedman, Curtis Cooksey and Betty Blythe and directed by Frank Lloyd; and a talkie in 1930 that starred Jean Arthur, Joel McCrea and Evelyn Brent and was directed by George Archainbaud.
Beach occasionally produced his films and also wrote a number of plays to varying success. In 1949, two years after the death of his wife Edith, Beach committed suicide in Sebring, Florida at the age of 71. In 2005, when the home Beach lived in was remodeled, a bullet was found in the wall, believed to be the bullet that ended his life.
Beach served as the first president of the Rollins College Alumni Association. He and his wife are buried in front of the Alumni house. Beach, and his most famous novel, were commemorated in 2009 by the naming of a walking/bike trail in Dobbs Ferry, NY, where he once resided, called "Spoilers Run".
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 20, 2019
Beach at his best as a frontier adventure writer. You can feel the chill of the northwest glaciers and shudder at the threats of nature and unscrupulous men. Alongside the man vs. nature plot is a tender little romance out in the middle of nowhere. But there’s a man determined to ruin them all...
June 21, 2021
Starts off with a bang as a steamer hits rocks in an Alaskan inlet and sinks; they are 5-6 miles from the nearest town; everyone except Murray O'Neill and Natalie Gerard escapes on lifeboats. Lots of excitement and thrills as they try to find a means of escape; luckily they are saved just as the steamer sinks.
Then the story bogs down for 200 pages as no action takes place. We learn that Murray is attempting to build a railroad to the interior, but he is in competition with several others to find the fastest and safest route. Natalie and her mother, Gloria, are looking for husbands. Newspaper woman, Eliza Appleton, arrives to do expose of the railroad competition. Murray spends a long time seeking financing for his project and spends time in New York. His main competitor, Curtis Gordon, tries to undercut Murray by hiring away his men, sabotaging his work, and placing false stories in the newspapers. Then there are romances involving Natalie and Dan the surveyor, Eliza and Murray , Gloria and Curtis. There is almost nothing about the building of the railroad.
The action finally picks up in the last 25 pages as a glacier melts and threatens to destroy a bridge that Murray's team had painstakingly constructed. Written in 1911 using archaic writing style that is difficult to read at times. If you like this genre try some of Edgar Rice Burroughs works (he wrote many action romances besides the Tarzan series.)
Then the story bogs down for 200 pages as no action takes place. We learn that Murray is attempting to build a railroad to the interior, but he is in competition with several others to find the fastest and safest route. Natalie and her mother, Gloria, are looking for husbands. Newspaper woman, Eliza Appleton, arrives to do expose of the railroad competition. Murray spends a long time seeking financing for his project and spends time in New York. His main competitor, Curtis Gordon, tries to undercut Murray by hiring away his men, sabotaging his work, and placing false stories in the newspapers. Then there are romances involving Natalie and Dan the surveyor, Eliza and Murray , Gloria and Curtis. There is almost nothing about the building of the railroad.
The action finally picks up in the last 25 pages as a glacier melts and threatens to destroy a bridge that Murray's team had painstakingly constructed. Written in 1911 using archaic writing style that is difficult to read at times. If you like this genre try some of Edgar Rice Burroughs works (he wrote many action romances besides the Tarzan series.)
June 18, 2023
Are you in it for the long haul?
I give this book a 3 star rating because it took me far too long to get through it. After the first 4 chapters I took a dive. I started skimming or daydreaming along the way. However, I caught myself a time or two and had to go back and reread what I thought I read when a certain sentence got my interest or a an action took place. For example, I liked the introduction to the story when it took place on the boat. Then it quickly progressed to building the railroad company, the gold rush interest and the fakers involved, the excitement and thrill of characters falling in love, the hard work it took to build a bridge and above it all the visual intake of the Alaskan country. I liked the ending and thought it was cute. I disliked the time it took for me to complete. I feel as if I would have really engaged more time, dedication and focus to the book I could have finished it a lot quicker and really understood what I was reading about. But, it is what it is and my opinion is my own. Just a challenge I need to work harder on in the future I guess when it comes to classic books. I would recommend the book to those who enjoy classic books and want to learn a little history behind the Alaskan frontier.
I give this book a 3 star rating because it took me far too long to get through it. After the first 4 chapters I took a dive. I started skimming or daydreaming along the way. However, I caught myself a time or two and had to go back and reread what I thought I read when a certain sentence got my interest or a an action took place. For example, I liked the introduction to the story when it took place on the boat. Then it quickly progressed to building the railroad company, the gold rush interest and the fakers involved, the excitement and thrill of characters falling in love, the hard work it took to build a bridge and above it all the visual intake of the Alaskan country. I liked the ending and thought it was cute. I disliked the time it took for me to complete. I feel as if I would have really engaged more time, dedication and focus to the book I could have finished it a lot quicker and really understood what I was reading about. But, it is what it is and my opinion is my own. Just a challenge I need to work harder on in the future I guess when it comes to classic books. I would recommend the book to those who enjoy classic books and want to learn a little history behind the Alaskan frontier.
October 31, 2022
Amazing History
The accomplishments of Michael J. Heney and his team is unparalleled in construction history. I would like to see the silent movie that was based on this book. Unfortunately, it is in a film museum in Russia.
The accomplishments of Michael J. Heney and his team is unparalleled in construction history. I would like to see the silent movie that was based on this book. Unfortunately, it is in a film museum in Russia.
August 8, 2021
A good story that provides some insight into big business and the rights of all people. Plenty of struggles and a lot of money raised for big dreamers who are capable of capitalizing on natural resources.
August 14, 2018
A grand start as a romance/adventure set in Alaska, but soon gets bogged down in business and politics. Lots of details towards the end also about building a bridge, so I did a bit of skimming. The heroes are manly men and the villains are evil.
The style rather reminded me of God Is an Englishman, which also began as a romance, but turned into a long, involved look at empire building (the railroad system of England).
Read for free on Google Books.
The style rather reminded me of God Is an Englishman, which also began as a romance, but turned into a long, involved look at empire building (the railroad system of England).
Read for free on Google Books.
January 1, 2019
"We're going to spring the biggest coup in railroad history."
Murray O'Neil, affectionately known as the "Irish Prince," plans to build a railway between two glaciers up the Salmon River into Alaska, a monstrous feat of engineering against formidable competition and completely unsupported by central government.
O'Neil is a doer, a dreamer, daring, rich, congenial, gallant and generous. We know this by his actions, but also because the rest of the characters spend most of their time telling us about all his wonderful qualities.
As well as the elements, O'Brien has to go up against a charming yet unscrupulous businessman who will do anything to win, including faking a gold rush in order to draw O'Neil's workers away to delay him, a powerful Copper Trust, and government laws designed to protect Eastern money.
Romance comes in a choice between a wealthy young woman he saves from a shipwreck at the start, or a principled reporter who opposes his plans on environmental grounds and also happens to be the sister of his chief engineer.
There really is a Salmon River bridge in Nova Scotia, but I don't know if this fictional one bears any relation to it. I can't say that it looks particularly spectacular from the online photographs.
O'Neil certainly doesn't bear any relation to any entrepreneur the real world ever knew. He's far too gallant and honest for that.
Murray O'Neil, affectionately known as the "Irish Prince," plans to build a railway between two glaciers up the Salmon River into Alaska, a monstrous feat of engineering against formidable competition and completely unsupported by central government.
O'Neil is a doer, a dreamer, daring, rich, congenial, gallant and generous. We know this by his actions, but also because the rest of the characters spend most of their time telling us about all his wonderful qualities.
As well as the elements, O'Brien has to go up against a charming yet unscrupulous businessman who will do anything to win, including faking a gold rush in order to draw O'Neil's workers away to delay him, a powerful Copper Trust, and government laws designed to protect Eastern money.
Romance comes in a choice between a wealthy young woman he saves from a shipwreck at the start, or a principled reporter who opposes his plans on environmental grounds and also happens to be the sister of his chief engineer.
There really is a Salmon River bridge in Nova Scotia, but I don't know if this fictional one bears any relation to it. I can't say that it looks particularly spectacular from the online photographs.
O'Neil certainly doesn't bear any relation to any entrepreneur the real world ever knew. He's far too gallant and honest for that.
October 10, 2019
An REB. Western Action Adventure (TIT)
REB. has penned a western action adventure which begins with a shipwreck just off the coast of southwestern Canada. All hands and passengers are saved. The only loss is four thoroughbred horses. Then switched to railroad building. The same man and woman who lost the ship are now trying to build an intercontinental railroad which is difficult, but the bridges are even harder. This is an excellent read for the genre.....DEHS
REB. has penned a western action adventure which begins with a shipwreck just off the coast of southwestern Canada. All hands and passengers are saved. The only loss is four thoroughbred horses. Then switched to railroad building. The same man and woman who lost the ship are now trying to build an intercontinental railroad which is difficult, but the bridges are even harder. This is an excellent read for the genre.....DEHS
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews