Harvey House Restaurants [1875-1968] at 'Readers of the Purple Sage'

Harvey House restaurants and hotels brought clean & nutritious food and outstanding lodgings to the
railroad & automobile traveler from 1875 to 1965, the first chain of restaurants and the first
chain of hotels in America. There were 100 or so Fred Harvey Company facilities (84 at one time),
which consisted of restaurants, hotels, lunchrooms, and newsstands; 87 are listed below.

       Frederick Henry Harvey was born in England on 27 June 1835. His family arrived in New York City in 1850; he worked in restaurants, and later in a jewelry store. He married Barbara Sarah Mattas in St. Louis, Missouri in 1855, and they opened a restaurant there; when the Civil War broke out, their Confederacy-sympathetic partner absconded with the funds, and Fred found work with the railroads, as a traveling freight agent – his travels made it very clear that good & sanitary meals were lacking across America. He moved his family to Leavenworth, Kansas in 1865.
       In 1875, Fred met Charles Morse, head of the new Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad, and they formed a partnership; that year, Fred opened two small eating houses on the AT&SF subsidiary Kansas Pacific Railway, at Wallace, Kansas and at Hugo, Oklahoma. In 1876, he took over the Santa Fe depot restaurant in Topeka, Kansas. In 1878, he opened the first Harvey House Hotel (now a museum) in Florence, Kansas.
       In 1881, he replaced his male waiters with the famous "Harvey Girls", renowned for their good looks, fine manners and efficiency. By 1883, he had 17 restaurants along the Santa Fe's main line; that same year he bought a small mansion in Leaven-worth, Kansas. By 1901, when he died, there were 47 Harvey House restaurants and 15 Harvey House Hotels (all in 12 states), and 30 dining cars on the AT&SF Railroad.

"The Indian-Detour" [1926 short]
silent promo film for Fred Harvey Co. • not listed on IMDb

Fred Harvey & Company

formal portrait of restaurant tycoon Fred Harvey, circa 1870

Fred Harvey worked in restaurants in New York City and in St. Louis, Missouri, and then with the railroads during the U.S. Civil War, as a traveling freight agent. His travels made it very clear that good & sanitary meals were lacking across America.
In 1875, Fred met Charles Morse, head of the new Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad, and they formed a partnership; that year, Fred opened two small eating houses on the AT&SF subsidiary Kansas Pacific Railway, at Wallace, Kansas and at Hugo, Oklahoma; in 1878, he opened the first Harvey House Hotel in Florence, Kansas.
By 1901, when he died, there were 47 Harvey House restaurants and 15 Harvey House Hotels (all in 12 states), and 30 dining cars on the AT&SF Railroad.
The company continued under the leadership of his sons and grandsons until 1965, and was sold in 1968 to the Hawaii-based hospitality industry conglomerate Amfac, Inc.

"The Olympians: A Tribute To Tall Sun-Crowned Men" [1921]
by Elbert Hubbard [1856-1915]
chapters/topics include oil & food tycoon E.T. Bedford, botanist Luther Burbank, railroad tycoon Benjamin Franklin Bush, arms maker Samuel Pomeroy Colt, railroad executive George H. Daniels, automaker Henry Ford, steel tycoon Elbert H. Gary, restaurant tycoon Fred Harvey [1835-1901], railroad tycoon Charles M. Hays, explorer Henry Hudson, automaker {Packard} Henry B. Joy, cereal tycoons Dr. J.H. Kellogg & C.W. Post, cash register tycoon {N.C.R.} John H. Patterson, tractor tycoons J.A. Secor & E.A. Rumely, hatmaker John B. Stetson, railroad tycoon Frederick D. Underwood, automaker John North Willys, and over a dozen more
BiblioLife 8x5 pb [10/2008] for $16.19
BiblioLife 9¼x6 hardcover [10/2008] for $21.99

Fred Harvey Company en route meal service
Santa Fe Railroad's San Francisco to Richmond ferry service [??-1933]
Santa Fe Railroad's California Limited
Santa Fe Railroad's Super Chief

Missouri {9 towns listed}
Frisco Line Harvey Newsstand [opened 1896, closed 1930] in Cape Girardeau, Missouri
Harvey Newsstand & Soda Fountain [early 1896; built 1913, closed 1930; now senior housing] in Joplin, Missouri
Harvey House Restaurant [opened 1914] at Union Station [closed 1980s; restored 1999] in Kansas City, Missouri
Harvey House Restaurant [early 1888; built 1913, restored] in Marceline, Missouri
Frisco Line Harvey Newsstand [opened 1896, closed 1930] in Monett, Missouri
Frisco Line Harvey Hotel [demolished] in Monett, Missouri
Harvey House Restaurant [demolished] in Newburg, Missouri
Frisco Line Harvey Newsstand [opened 1896, closed 1930] in Springfield, Missouri
Frisco Line Harvey House Restaurant [demolished] in Springfield, Missouri

Harvey House Restaurant [opened 1914] at the Terminal Hotel of Union Station in St. Louis, Missouri
now the Station Grille restaurant, situated in the Marriott St. Louis Union Station hotel
Frisco Line Harvey Newsstand [opened 1896, closed 1930] in Eads Bridge station in St. Louis, Missouri
Frisco Line Harvey Newsstand [opened 1896, closed 1930] in Tower Grove station in St. Louis, Missouri

Kansas {17 towns listed}
Harvey House Restaurant in Arkansas City, Kansas
Frisco Line Harvey Newsstand in Augusta, Kansas
Harvey House Restaurant [built 1896, now a city library] in Chanute, Kansas
Harvey House El Vaquero Hotel [opened 1900, closed 1948, restored 2002] in Dodge City, Kansas
Harvey House Hotel [opened 1880, closed 1937, demolished] in Emporia, Kansas
first Harvey House Hotel [built 1878, now a museum] in Florence, Kansas
Harvey House Restaurant in Fort Scott, Kansas
Harvey House El Bisonte Hotel [built 1906, closed 1946, demolished] in Hutchinson, Kansas
Harvey House lunchroom [1879-1880] in Lakin, Kansas
Santa Fe Harvey Newsstand in Lawrence, Kansas
Harvey House Arcade Hotel [early 1883, replaced 1900, closed 1979, restored] in Newton, Kansas
building now mostly occupied by a law firm [since 1993]
Frisco Line Harvey Newsstand in Pittsburg, Kansas
Harvey House Sequoyah Hotel [opened 1908, closed 1936, demolished] in Syracuse, Kansas
second Fred Harvey eating house [opened 1876, closed 1940] in Topeka, Kansas
early Fred Harvey eating house [opened 1875] at Wallace, Kansas on the Kansas Pacific Railway
Harvey House Hotel [opened 1883, closed 1939, demolished 1965] in Wellington, Kansas
Harvey House Restaurant [1913-35] at Union Station [built 1913; sold 2009 for redevelopment] in Wichita, Kansas

Oklahoma {7 towns listed}
Sante Fe Depot and Harvey House [opened 1903; restaurant & museum entangled since 2009] in Guthrie, Oklahoma
early Fred Harvey eating house [opened 1875] at Hugo, Oklahoma on the Kansas Pacific Railway
Frisco Lines Depot and Harvey House [built 1914, restored & now a museum] in Hugo, Oklahoma
Sante Fe Depot and Harvey House [built 1904, closed 1990?; demolished] in Purcell, Oklahoma
Frisco Lines Depot and Harvey House [demolished 1963] in Sapulpa, Oklahoma
Frisco Lines Depot and Harvey House lunchroom [demolished] in Snyder, Oklahoma
Sante Fe Depot and Harvey House [opened 1910, closed 1937; restored as museum] in Waynoka, Oklahoma
Frisco Lines Depot and Harvey House lunchroom [demolished] in Vinita, Oklahoma

Colorado {4 towns listed}
Sante Fe Depot and Cardenas Hotel [circa 1900; demolished] in Trinidad, Colorado
Harvey House El Otero Hotel [closed 1948; demolished] in La Junta, Colorado
Sante Fe Depot and Harvey House [now a school] in Colorado Springs, Colorado
Harvey House Restaurant [demolished] in Palmer Lake, Colorado

Mississippi ä Louisiana ä Arkansas ä Texas ä New Mexico ä Arizona ä California

Arkansas {4 towns listed}
Frisco Line Harvey Newsstand [replaced] in Fayetteville, Arkansas
Frisco Line Harvey Newsstand [circa 1911; remodeled & standing] in Fort Smith, Arkansas
Harvey House Restaurant [demolished] in Jonesboro, Arkansas
Harvey House Restaurant [demolished] in Rogers, Arkansas

Sante Fe Depot and Harvey House [opened 1910, closed 1940; building sold 1993] in Amarillo, Texas
now Worldwide Antiques store, 401 So. Grant Street

Sante Fe Depot and Harvey House [opened 1909, restored as civic senter] in Brownwood, Texas

Sante Fe Depot and Harvey House [opened c. 1897, closed 1923] in Rosenberg, Texas

Harvey House Restaurant [standing] in Raton, New Mexico
Fred Harvey Indian Detours [1925-1937] headquartered in Raton, New Mexico

Harvey House Castañeda Hotel [opened 1898; closed 1948; standing] in Las Vegas, New Mexico
Montezuma Castle Hotel [early 1882, built 1886, closed 1903; now a college] in Las Vegas, New Mexico

Harvey House Las Chavez/Los Chaves Hotel [closed in 1936; demolished] in Vaughn, New Mexico

The town of San Marcial, New Mexico was destroyed by devastating floods in 1929,
including the AT&SF station and a medium-size Harvey House Restaurant

Escalante Hotel [early site 1895, hotel built 1905, closed 1948, demolished 1970s] in Ash Fork, Arizona

Harvey House El Tovar Hotel [built 1905; still in operation] at Grand Canyon, Arizona
decorated by architect Mary Jane Colter [1869-1958]
http://www.amazon.com/Tovar-Canyon-National-Lodges-W-W-West/dp/0965392430/

Harvey House Phantom Ranch buildings [opened 1922; still in operation] at the bottom of the Grand Canyon
designed by architect Mary Jane Colter [1869-1958]

How Arizona Sold Its Sunshine, Historical Hotels of Arizona book by Victoria Clark

"How Arizona Sold Its Sunshine: Historical Hotels of Arizona" [2003]
by Victoria Clark
Describes 65 Arizona establishments, existing or not, big or small, including six Harvey House locations: Bright Angel Lodge [open] at the Grand Canyon, El Tovar Hotel [open] at the Grand Canyon, Escalante Hotel [gone] in Ashfork, Fray Marcos de Niza Hotel [gone] in Williams, La Posada Hotel [open] in Winslow, and Painted Desert Inn [open] east of Holbrook
Blue Gourd Publng 8½x5½ pb [12/2003] for $19.95

Casa del Desierto [opened 1911, closed 1959; refurbished 1999] in Barstow, California
designed by architect http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Colter [1869-1958]
Barstow [CA] Route 66 Mother Road Museum
Western American Railroad Museum in Barstow, CA

Harvey House Restaurant [opened 1918; restored as offices] in San Bernardino, California

early Harvey House [built 1900] at Santa Fe's Le Grand Station in Los Angeles, California
Harvey House Restaurant [opened May 1939] at Union Station in Los Angeles, California
restaurant designed by architect Mary Jane Colter [1869-1958]
Fred Harvey Restaurant at the Los Angeles Music Center

Fred Harvey Restaurant & Cocktail House, 1743 No. Cahuenga Blvd. in Hollywood, California

"The Harvey Girls" musical feature film [M.G.M. Jan 1946]

stil from "The Harvey Girls" 1946 movie, with Judy Garland packing two sixguns

Filmed in Technicolor; a young girl traveling West on the train as a mail-order bride meets a bunch of Harvey House waitresses going to the same town. Directed by George Sidney; starring Judy Garland {age 23}, John Hodiak, Ray Bolger, Angela Lansbury, Preston Foster, Virginia O'Brien, Kenny Baker, Marjorie Main, Chill Wills, Selena Royle & Cyd Charisse; won Oscar for Best Original Song
Turner Home Ent. color DVD [4/2001] out of prodn/used
M.G.M./Warner color VHS [4/92] for $13.99
full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia

"The Harvey Girls" [1942 novel] by Samuel Hopkins Adams
Dell Mapback mass pb [1942] out of print/rare
Random House hardcover [1942] out of print/rare

	"Meals By Fred Harvey" [T.C.U. Press 1966] by James David Henderson Omni pb [1985] out of print/used
	"The Harvey Girls: Women Who Opened The West" [1989] by Lesley Poling-Kempes Treasure Chest 9x6 pb [9/91] for $10.17 Paragon House 9x6 pb [9/91] out of print/used Paragon House hardcover [11/89] out of print/used
	"The Harvey Girls: The Women Who Civilized The West" [ages 5-9; 1994] by Juddi Morris Walker YA 9x7¼ pb [1/96] for $11.94 Walker YA 9½x8 hardcover [6/94] out of print/used
	"The Great Southwest of The Fred Harvey Company and The Santa Fe Railway" [1996] Edited by Marta Weigle & Barbara A. Babcock Heard Museum 12x9 pb [6/96] out of print/used

	"Inventing The Southwest: The Fred Harvey Company and Native American Art" [1996] by Kathleen L. Howard & Diana F. Pardue Northland Publng/Heard Museum 9¾x8¾ pb [9/96] out of print/used
	"Mary Jane Colter: The Desert View - The Story of The Chief Architect For The Fred Harvey Company" [indep 1997] 53-minute documentary film produced, written & directed by Jennifer Lee; narrated by Ellen Burstyn; credits at IMDb DVD/Blu-ray not available • indep color VHS [1997] out of prodn/scarce
	"Harvey Girl" [ages 9-12; 2006] by Sheila Wood Foard Texas Tech Univ Press 8¾x5¾ pb [4/2006] for $11.53
	"The Harvey House Cookbook: Memories of Dining Along The Santa Fe Railroad" [orig 1992, rev 2006] by George H. Foster & Peter C. Weiglin 30 vintage photographs & over 200 recipes Taylor Trade 2nd edition 9x7 pb [5/2006] for $14.49 Longstreet Press 9x7 pb [10/2001] out of print/used Longstreet Press 9x7¼ hardcover [9/92] out of print/used
	"Spoons West! Fred Harvey, The Navajo, and The Souvenir Spoons of The Southwest, 1890-1941" [2007] by Nick T. Spark Lulu.com 10¾x8¼ pb [11/2007] for $29.95
	"Fred Harvey Houses of The Southwest" packet of 15 postcards [2008] by Richard Melzer Arcadia Publng looseleaf postcards [11/2008] for $7.99
	"Images of America: Fred Harvey Houses of The Southwest" [2008] by Richard Melzer Arcadia Publng 9x6½ pb [11/2008] for $14.95
	"Touring The West With The Fred Harvey Co. & The Santa Fe Railway" [2008] by Paul & Kathleen Nickens Schiffer Publng 11x8½ pb [11/2008] for $21.36
	"Appetite For America: How Visionary Businessman Fred Harvey Built A Railroad Hospitality Empire That Civilized The Wild West" [2010] by Stephen Fried Bantam 9¼x6 pb [5/2011] for $12.24 Bantam 9¼x6½ hardcover [3/2010] for $17.82
	"When Molly Was A Harvey Girl: A Novel of The Old West" [grades 6-9 novel 2010] by Frances M. Wood Left penniless when their father suddenly dies, 13-year-old Molly and her older sister Colleen find work at the Harvey House in Raton, New Mexico (Molly lies about her age). Kane/Miller 8¼x5¾ hardcover [8/00] out of print/used

Readers of the Purple Sage BookstoreHarvey House Restaurants[1875-1968]

Readers of the Purple Sage Bookstore
Harvey House Restaurants
[1875-1968]