Minister M.I. Khilkov in the history of the Russian province at the turn of the XIX-XX centuries: based on the materials of the Vyatka province

The paper examines the biographical aspects and official activities of the Minister of Railways of Russia Mikhail Ivanovich Khilkov (1834-1909). Being a representative of a well-known princely family and having completed military service, he became an active figure in the era of the great reforms of Alexander II - participated in the peasant reform in the Tver Province. Later, he gained experience in railway construction and work in America and Europe, served in the Anglo-American company for the construction of the Transatlantic Railway. After returning to Russia, he held high state positions, was involved in railway construction and finally appointed Minister of Railways in April 1895. In the paper, special attention is paid to the construction of the Perm-Kotlas railway through the Vyatka Province, the arrival of M.I. Khilkov in the Vyatka Province in June 1898. The author concludes that the railway construction associated with the activities of Minister Khilkov was a landmark event in the economic transformations of the Russian Provinces.