, is seen here in 2006. The Spanish-Moroccan designed structure took two years to construct, and opened its doors on February 22, 1911. The building has been designated as a
California Historical Landmark, #892. and the
Santa Fe Railroad, c. 1919. From a Fred Harvey Co. tourist brochure. The company traces its origins to the 1876 opening of three railroad eatery-hotels located at
Wallace, Kansas,
Lawrence, Kansas, and
Hugo, Colorado, on the
Kansas Pacific Railway. These cafés were opened by
Fred Harvey, then a freight agent for the
Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, who emigrated to the United States from London, England, when he was 17 years old. The rapid growth of the chain soon followed, with the second location opening in
Lakin, Kansas in 1879. Fred Harvey is credited with creating the first
restaurant chain in the U.S. Despite the decline of passenger train patronage in the U.S. in the 20th century with the advent of the automobile, the company survived and prospered by marketing its services to the motoring public. After 1926, Harvey Cars were used in the provision of "Indian Detours" services offered from a number of Harvey hotel locations. Fred Harvey's son Ford began the series of guided tours into the interior of the west. The company purchased a hotel in Santa Fe called La Fonda, and it became headquarters for the Indian Detours, led by guides called Couriers. The Fred Harvey legacy was continued in the family until the death of a grandson in 1965. Portions of the
Fred Harvey Company have continued to operate since 1968 as part of a larger
hospitality industry conglomerate, Amfac, Inc. which became Xanterra Parks and Resorts in 2002.
Company growth and relationship with AT&SF ,
Las Vegas, New Mexico, as seen in 2007. An early
mission revival style Harvey House (1899) and sister hotel to the
Alvarado in
Albuquerque, New Mexico. Before the inclusion of
dining cars in
passenger trains became common practice, a rail passenger's only option for meal service in transit was to patronize one of the roadhouses often located near the railroad's
water stops. The rugged, landscape-integrated, and culturally appropriate design principles there influenced a generation of subsequent Western U.S. architecture through the
National Park Service and
Civilian Conservation Corps structures built during the
Great Depression and after. Mary Colter, architect for the company from 1904 to 1949, in particular sought to incorporate her designs into the natural splendor of the Canyon, drawing on its beauty. Colter focused on authenticity. Hopi House and Bright Angel Lodge, both on the south rim of the Grand Canyon, are prime examples of her work, which influenced popular interpretations of “the desert” and indigenous America. The Harvey team, with the backing of the Santa Fe railroad, created an entire set of cultural images based on the region's distinctive, and often overlooked, artistic traditions of the
Native American residents and the early Spanish settlers in the area. Especially noteworthy were the buildings on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, including lodges, souvenirs shops, and special lookout points, today on the National Register of Historic Places. It has been suggested that the Harvey Houses originated the "
blue-plate special", a daily low-priced complete meal served on a blue-patterned china plate; an 1892 Harvey menu mentions them, some thirty years before the term became widespread. In addition to the AT&SF, the Harvey Company operated dining facilities for the Gulf Coast & Santa Fe,
Kansas Pacific,
St. Louis-San Francisco, and the
Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis railways. The girls were paid $18.50 a month (), plus room and board, a generous income by the standards of the time. The women were subjected to a strict 10 p.m. curfew, administered by a senior Harvey Girl who assumed the role and responsibilities of
house mother. However, just the opportunity to leave their homes, enjoy travel, have new experiences, and work outside the home was very liberating for thousands of young women. This legend found expression in
The Harvey Girls, a 1942 novel by
Samuel Hopkins Adams and in the 1946
MGM musical film of the same name which was inspired by it, starring Judy Garland.
Dining car service Harvey initially balked at the suggestion that in-transit dining facilities be added to all AT&SF trains operating west of Kansas City. Eventually, Harvey agreed to support the railroad in this endeavor, and the
California Limited became the first AT&SF's name trains to feature Harvey Company meal service en route. Later trains, such as the
Super Chief, included dining cars (staffed by
Fred Harvey Company personnel) as part of the standard passenger car complement right from the outset.
Mary Colter specially designed a china pattern,
Mimbreno, for the ''Super Chief's
dining cars. The original Fred Harvey Company'', as well as the company's close affiliation with AT&SF, lasted until 1968 when it was purchased by the
Amfac Corporation of Hawaii. Amfac was renamed
Xanterra Parks & Resorts in 2002. In 2006, Xanterra purchased the
Grand Canyon Railway and its properties.
Under Amfac In 1968,
Amfac bought Fred Harvey Co. As of the 1970s, Fred Harvey as a division of Amfac ran: • The
Airport Marina Hotel at Manchester and Lincoln in
Westchester, Los Angeles, near
Los Angeles International Airport • The
Furnace Creek Inn and Ranch in
Death Valley (now the Inn at Death Valley) • Food and beverage and in-flight dining services at
Ontario Airport ==Select Harvey hotels and facilities==