The Last Harvey House

As the 19th century drew to a close, luxurious train travel was the way to go in America. The Santa Fe Railroad was the first line to become interested in more than just providing a way to cross the country. When Fred Harvey joined forces with the railroad, Harvey Houses sprang up across the country offering good food and plush accommodations. But cars, planes, and motels changed the travel picture, and La Posada was the last Harvey House the railroad built. The hotel was the ultimate in elegance and offered the best that Mary Colter could bring to the table. Winslow's downtown, blessed by the success of Route 66 prospered. But when Interstate 40 crossed the country the was town was gutted and almost went under. The Winslowans, however, still had two advantages. One was La Posada, and the other was a small group of local people who were willing to go to work to save the town. Guided by serendipity, and with luck on their side, the people of Winslow proved that miracles can happen. It is a David and Goliath story, and David won this round.

On the eve of the twentieth century, small-town Texas was still wild country lacking in the commodities and cultural centers of larger cities. This changed, however, with the arrival of the Santa Fe rail line, followed quickly by the Harvey House. Established in Kansas by English immigrant Fred Harvey, Harvey Houses could be found throughout the Southwest and adjoined local depots in sixteen Texas towns. Found in every corner of the state, Harvey Houses were not just restaurants and hotels for weary, hungry travelers but were also bustling social centers and often the only commercial outlet for the communities that developed around them. Author Rosa Walston Latimer tells the history of hospitality the "Fred Harvey way" in turn-of-the-century Texas, woven from personal stories of the famous "Harvey Girls" and other employees of Texas Harvey Houses.

Valuing food quality as much as quality service, Harvey Houses changed the culture of western railroad towns. After Fred Harvey's death in 1901, sons Ford and Byron expanded the family business along the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe rail lines. El Tovar opened in 1905 on the south rim of the Grand Canyon, signaling the arrival of the iconic brand to Arizona. New railroad depots and Harvey establishments reminiscent of the Spanish Colonial-Indian pueblo style of architecture followed. Well-paid European chefs trained every kitchen, and waitresses hailed from every walk of life. Author Rosa Walston Latimer celebrates hospitality the "Fred Harvey way" through the personal stories of the famous Harvey Girls and staff of luxury Harvey hotels in Ash Fork, Seligman, Williams, Winslow and beyond.

The Fred Harvey name will forever be associated with the high-quality restaurants, hotels, and resorts situated along the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway in the American Southwest. The Fred Harvey Company surprised travelers, who were accustomed to "dingy beaneries" staffed with "rough waiters," by presenting attractive, courteous servers known as the Harvey Girls. Today many Harvey Houses serve as museums, offices, and civic centers throughout the Southwest. Only a few Harvey Houses remain as first-class hotels, and they are located at the Grand Canyon, in Winslow, Arizona, and in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

A look at the memorable chain of restaurants and hotels and its place in New Mexico’s history. The Santa Fe Line and the famous Fred Harvey restaurants forever changed New Mexico and the Southwest, bringing commerce, culture, and opportunity to a desolate frontier. The first Harvey Girls ever hired staffed the Raton location. In a departure from the ubiquitous black and white uniform immortalized by Judy Garland in 1946’s TheHarvey Girls, many of New Mexico’s Harvey Girls wore colorful dresses reflective of local culture. In Albuquerque, the Harvey-managed Alvarado Hotel doubled as a museum for carefully curated native art. Join author Rosa Walston Latimer and discover New Mexico’s unique history of hospitality the “Fred Harvey way.”

Starting in Kansas, Fred Harvey's iconic Harvey House was the first to set the standard for fine dining and hospitality across the rugged Southwest. In 1876, the first of Harvey's depot restaurants opened in Topeka, followed just a few years later by the first combination hotel and restaurant in Florence. Fred Harvey and the Harvey Girls introduced good food and manners to the land of Bat Masterson, Wyatt Earp and raucous cattle drives. In her third book on the Harvey House legacy, author Rosa Walston Latimer goes back to where it all began in this history of hospitality from the Sunflower State.

Grandma was born in 1885. Louise's life includes her and her sister, Lillie, working their way west as Harvey House girls. Louise was a maid for sixty years, working from ten years old until she retired at seventy years old in 1955. Louise was the sole support of her family, which included raising two children and taking care of a sick and unemployed husband. She came through World War I, the Great Depression, and World War II and never lost her faith. Louise's and Lillie's story is a biography with a religious theme. It also includes historical facts, human relationships, and romance. Louise left a lasting legacy for her nine grandchildren and their families. 166

In the 1870s, people traveling west of the Mississippi were still venturing into the wild. Loud, smoke-belching trains might have cut across the rough terrain, but harsh weather, rigid seats, and short breaks for bad food in the middle of nowhere showed the West was by no means won. Entrepreneur Fred Harvey had an eye for such problems and a nerve for the impossible. In 1876, he began establishing high-quality dining rooms along the Santa Fe Railroad, and his Harvey Houses helped change the entire picture of the American West. Recapture the spirit of the first western railway excursions with The Harvey House Cookbook. Its 200-plus vintage recipes, numerous period photos, and fascinating stories will take readers back to one of America's legendary experiences in the Old West.