FRED HARVEY FACTS

  • The Fred Harvey company was founded in 1876 by Fred Harvey to provide high-quality food and hospitality services to travelers along the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway.

  • The "Harvey Girls," a pioneering workforce of young women hired as waitresses, were introduced in the late 1880s to provide excellent service at Fred Harvey restaurants and hotels.

  • When Fred Harvey died in 1901 at the age of 65, he owned and operated approximately 15 hotels, 47 restaurants, 30 dining cars and a San Francisco Bay ferry. After his death Harvey’s sons, Ford and Byron, continued to operate the substantial family business and the company name remained simply “Fred Harvey.” For years, employees continued to say they worked for Fred Harvey. In the 1920s, the Fred Harvey Company operated approximately 84 dining establishments, 60 dining cars, and 12 hotels along the Santa Fe Railway system across the southwestern United States. The company also contracted services with other railroad lines.

  • Today, a handful of former Harvey Houses have been preserved as museums, restaurants, or hotels, including the La Fonda Hotel in Santa Fe, El Tovar Hotel at the Grand Canyon, the restored Harvey House Museum in Belen, New Mexico, and the restored Harvey House in Slaton, Texas that operates as a bed & breakfast.

  • Over 100,000 Harvey Girls were employed between the 1880s and the 1960s, contributing to the westward expansion of the United States and the standardization of hospitality in the region.

  • The Harvey Girls became iconic thanks to their uniforms, professionalism, and a starring role in the 1946 MGM musical "The Harvey Girls," featuring Judy Garland. These women also helped civilize the West. They often married a local rancher or railroad man and contributed to the development of their community.

  • Fred Harvey is considered the "Father of the American Roadside Dining Experience" and introduced the concept of standardized, high-quality food service for travelers.

  • The success of the Fred Harvey company was closely tied to its partnership with the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway, which provided the company exclusive access to serve its passengers.

  • Many Harvey Houses were designed by prominent architects like Mary Colter and Louis Curtiss, whose designs have become a key part of Southwestern architectural heritage.

  • The rise of automobile travel and the decline of train travel led to the closure of many Harvey Houses.

  • Today, the Fred Harvey Company and the Harvey Girls are remembered for their influence on the development of hospitality standards, the empowerment of women in the workforce, and the cultural history of the American Southwest.