Dining Across The American West: Remembering The Harvey Girls

By Kater Leatherman

Success finds those who have an idea, take action and then follow through.  Fred Harvey, a transplanted Englishman, was one of those people.  He saw a need and set out to do something about it.

His idea to open rail depot restaurants, considered radical at the time, burst forth during the westward expansion across America in the mid-19th century.  Harvey himself traveled by train where he considered the food to be dreadful.  Choices at the 20-minute “water stops”, so named because steam trains needed to replenish their water supply, included rancid bacon, greasy-fried meats, cold beans, and coffee that was brewed once a week.  

Until the late 1890s, even though the rails reached California, dining cars were all but nonexistent west of Omaha.  In the more dangerous, isolated routes, robberies were common in what was known as “cowboy country.” The pricey equipment required to outfit dining cars prevented the railroad companies from taking a financial risk.

Once Harvey’s proposal was accepted by the Santa Fe Railway line, the first Harvey House opened in 1876.  To lure travelers, his goal was to serve delicious food in a clean, well-run restaurant with efficient service.  Initially, he hired male servers who failed to meet his standards with their surly attitude and drunkenness.  To improve customer service and efficiency, Harvey began hiring women.

His newspaper ads ran, primarily, in the eastern United States, with specific guidelines for hiring.  Applicants had to be between ages 18-30, of good moral character, neat and well-spoken with at least an eighth grade education (equivalent to a high school education today). With few women working outside the home, a more adventurous life with job training, good pay ($17.50 a month), with room and board, was irresistible.

In 1944, Mary Spiller had the distinction of being the youngest ever hired as a Harvey Girl.  In 2019, at age 94, she attended the 125th anniversary of the St. Louis Union Station. 

“You had to be a little special.  You couldn’t be run of the mill,” Spiller said.

The Harvey House Company offered six-month, nine-month and one-year contracts that included a promise that they wouldn’t get married for a year.  Once hired, Harvey Girls attended a rigorous two-week training program in Kansas City, Missouri to learn the “Harvey Way”, i.e., good customer service, serving techniques, and proper etiquette.  From there, the girls left for various Harvey Houses across the west, including Arizona, Colorado and California.

Strict rules included no gum chewing, make-up, or nail polish on the job. The uniforms were conservative with skirts having to be a certain length from the floor.  A 10 p.m. curfew was imposed by a housemother, unless there was a late train.  Each dormitory did, however, offer a “courting parlor” where the girls could entertain prospective husbands without compromising either the company’s or their own reputation. 

Benefits went beyond work for those who came from modest means.  They were exposed to diverse cultures and experiences.  The restaurant atmosphere was elegant.  Classic trademarks included imported linens and tableware, along with prime steak.

Gladys Porter, known for her dedication to customer service at the Harvey House in Vegas, New Mexico, said, “I didn’t have any social skills and working as a Harvey Girl taught me how to be hospitable and caring.”  

Working for this innovative company gave the girls a sense of pride.  Not only were they serving world-class food, but choices differed from place to place so that passengers didn’t eat the same thing at each stop. Water was shipped on the trains to ensure that the coffee tasted the same along the way.  Orange juice was squeezed fresh to order, not in batches. Believing in quantity as well as quality, Harvey had his pies cut into quarters instead of the standard six pieces. 

After World War II, things began changing for The Harvey Company.  The focus shifted from railroad passengers to the troops.  Even the menu covers changed to reflect insignia and plane identifications for different branches of the military. Hiring for The Harvey Girls began to decline, not only due to women taking jobs to support the war effort, but also due to societal changes as well as transportation preferences with the rise of the automobile and air travel.   

In 1946, after the MGM released “The Harvey Girls”, starring Judy Garland, they became famous.  While the Hollywood version glorified their story, it did portray the spirit and character of the Harvey Girls. In reality, the days were long and the work hard, with passenger trains rolling into each depot three times a day, en masse. 

On February 9, 1901 Fred Harvey died at the age of 66.  Legend has it that on his deathbed his last words were, “Don’t slice the ham too thin, boys” (his ham or cheese sandwiches with three slices of bread for fifteen cents were known everywhere for their value).  His sons, Ford and Byron Harvey took over the business. In 1965, his grandson’s death marked the end of the Harvey family’s direct involvement in the business.

From the 1880’s to the 1940’s, 100,000 courageous women left home and family to work as a Harvey Girl.  They were pioneers who became vital to the success of the first restaurant chain in America.  By the time the Harvey House era ended, an estimated 5,000 Harvey Girl marriages had taken place in the west.

Kater can be reached at [email protected].