As we followed Route 66 we began to run into the name, Fred Harvey. Fred Harvey partnered with the Atchison-Topeka-Santa Fe railway in 1876, and revolutionized travel. Rt 66 and the railway often follow the same path, taking advantage of the topography of the land, thus the connection. Harvey built hotels in locations along the rail lines. He established eateries at the hotels, or at stations that could provide a quality meal, with good service in the 30 minutes passengers originally had while the steam locomotives were taking on water for the next leg of the trip.
Originally Harvey hired waiters for his eateries but, due to racial differences the men sometimes ended up in fights. After that Harvey began to hire young women. He advertised in the east, paid for first class travel, provided uniforms and laundry services, housing and required extensive training for the women. Originally, the women had to be single, could not fraternize with anyone associated with the company and could not talk during their working hours, except as needed for the job. Conductors on the train would take orders for meals and relay that information to the Harvey hotel or eatery in advance of their arrival, so that the meals could be prepared. Given thirty minutes, the Harvey Girls would take the orders, collect the prepared dish from the kitchen and serve the customers within minutes of their arrival. While we were at La Posada Hotel in Winston, AZ, we had the opportunity to hear from a "Harvey Girl" and learn more about her experiences. This program offered young women the opportunity to earn good money, meet gentlemen (often wealthy) and see more of the world than most women of their time did. The program began in 1883 and lasted into the 50's. At this point in time, the Interstate system was beginning to build roads that bypassed towns and cities. Railroad locomotives were no longer powered by steam and could travel greater miles without needing to be serviced. Airplane travel was increasing and the railroad began to lose ridership. Many of the hotels and eateries began to fade away.
However, several of the original hotels are still in use and are popular, upscale resorts nowadays. On my Rt 66 trip I did have the opportunity to stop at two of them:
La Posada Hotel
1930
Winslow, AZ
This was one of the Harvey Hotels. The trains run directly behind the hotel.
There are many unique architectural details in the hotel
La Posada, and the eloquent Turquoise Room restaurant did not fare well in the late 50's. As ridership declined, the hotel fell into disrepair and was finally closed. It was reopened in 1997 and has been reestablished as a posh resort.
I also had the chance to see Bright Angel Lodge at the Grand Canyon. This was also a Harvey Hotel and eatery, and remains open today. However, due to a huge waterline break all of the overnight accommodations in the Grand Canyon. and many of the restaurants have been closed since September. They hope to have repairs made to begin service again by Thanksgiving.
The rocks for the fireplace were found at different locations in the Grand Canyon
A unique feature of both of these hotels is that they were designed by Mary Coulter. Mary was an architect and designer who worked with Fred Harvey to design many of his hotels. She blended Native American, Spanish and Mission revival styles to create many unique, landmark buildings in the southwest. Like the Harvey Girls, she was a woman ahead of her times! (My friends, Maureen & Nick are waiting at the back door into the hotel.) We all loved the bright colors Mary incorporated into her rustic building.
Oh, and yes, you would have found me "standin' on the corner in Winslow, Arizona"!
