KBEM - Empire Builder
James J. Hill's Great Northern Railroad was built to run from Saint Paul, MN to Puget Sound, WA, earning JJ Hill the nickname the Empire Builder. All the action in the storyline of Empire Builder: The Musical occurs on Amtrak's Empire Builder (the train) as it makes its way from Chicago, through Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota and out to Cut Bank, Montana. Empire Builder is the story of Sky, a Native man who has been called back to the reservation by his dying grandfather, who put him into foster care at the age of 9. He takes the train west.
$1,470,000 the first year and $1,666,000 the second year are to the Association of Minnesota Public Educational Radio Stations for production and acquisition grants in accordance with Minnesota Statutes, section 129D.19.
The listener will come away from each episode better informed about diverse perspectives of Minnesota history, cultural and race relations, and a better understanding of some of the up and down sides of “progress” as seen through the eyes of the characters in Empire Builder: The Musical.A radio experience that is deeply affected by the power of music-theater to bring these histories and perspectives to a more discerning light.