Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Hospitality Southwest Style

Hi folks! Linda Farmer Harris here. Thanks for stopping by.

I’m putting the final touches on my Easter Sunday menu. I’m thinking about Easter eggs – scrambled, not chocolate, served over Portobello mushrooms. That made me wonder how a Fred Harvey chef would prepare that dish.

I discovered the Harvey Girls and their style of Southwest hospitality in the February 1992 issue of Texas Highways. Rosa Walston Latimer wrote about this unique group of women in Southwest history. That began my admiration, no, my downright love affair, with these courageous young women who wanted to be independent and self-sufficient.

From a variety of backgrounds, many of them supported parents and siblings back home on $17.50 in wages plus tips, while they carved out a future for themselves. They also received free room, board, clean uniforms, and a train pass to their training facility. Your family tree may have a Harvey Girl among its branches.

From the late 1800s to the mid-1950s Harvey House restaurants and dining rooms upheld their tradition of quality food, high standards of service, and reasonable prices. The Harvey Girls served weary travelers gourmet meals in thirty minutes. Some served in restaurants, others in lunchrooms. All donned the standard uniform of black or white starched skirt, high-collared blouse, with a bib and apron. They served their patrons with practiced precision and polished etiquette.

Each patron would tell their waitress whether they preferred coffee, hot tea, iced tea or milk. The cup code enabled their choice to be served quickly. If the waitress left the cup right side up in its saucer, that meant coffee. Upside down meant hot tea. Upside down, but tilted against the saucer meant iced tea. Upside down, away from the saucer meant milk. Patrons who changed the positions of their cups risked getting the wrong drink.

The advertisement for “young women 18 to 30 years of age, of good character, attractive and intelligent” as waitresses in Harvey Eating Houses on the Santa Fe Railroad in the West is legendary. Their contribution to the growth of the American West is preserved in poetry, song, and film. The humorist, Will Rogers, observed that the Harvey Houses kept the West in food and wives.

You’ve probably seen the 1946 musical romance movie The Harvey Girls, starring Judy Garland, as a mail order bride. You may have sung “On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe” along with her. Visit http://harvey-house.info/blog-hg/category/fred-harvey/ to watch a 1946 trailer.

When Fred Harvey entered the hospitality arena, Americans were still looking to England and France to define style and substance of an elegant lifestyle. Harvey gave them a look at their own country, encouraged them to explore places like the Grand Canyon, take home Indian artifacts, dine on exquisite regional foods, all the while taking in the Wild West. He’s credited with inventing the “Santa Fe style.”

At a time when the American West had a reputation of being hospitality-challenged, Fred Harvey offered meals that were culinary masterpieces. Cowboys could eat a steak that wasn’t cooked to resemble shoe leather, and cowgirls could toss aside “mountain oysters” and taste fresh Maine oysters. Reading through the recipes in The Harvey House Cookbook by George H. Foster and Peter C. Weiglin and Stephen Fried’s Appetite for America: Fred Harvey and the Business of Civilizing the Wild West--One Meal at a Time will make you hungry and motivate you to try your hand at cooking up some of the recipes.

While you read recipes like Fred Harvey’s Chocolate Custard—yum—you will chuckle at some of the directions and ingredients in other recipes. I still wonder about macaroni that can be coiled around the bottom of a buttered mold or exactly what is loppered milk. I’ve gathered the ingredients for Hungarian Beef Goulash with Potato Dumplings for Sunday dinner.

At its peak, Harvey Girls worked in over sixty-five restaurants and lunch counters, at a dozen large hotels. We often take up the Fred Harvey story when he was at the height of being the “father of the American service industry.” We don’t hear much about him starting at the bottom of the ladder as a dishwasher — a pot walloper. He learned the restaurant business from the ground up. As a government postal worker, he participated in the nation’s first traveling post office. He had first hand experience about the miserable plight of travelers and their meals.

Stephen Fried’s Appetite for America gives a fresh look and some little known facts about Fred and the Harvey Girls. Fried called Fred Harvey “the founding father of the American service industry” and creator of one of the first nationally recognized American brands. Visit http://www.stephenfried.com/blog/ for a wealth of information about Fred Harvey and the Harvey Girls.

Lesley Poling-Kempes wrote The Harvey Girls: Women Who Opened the West (1989). It is one of the first definitive works on the topic. She also produced a two-book historical paper doll fashion series, which is very valuable for writers and researchers in describing outer and inner wear for the women at work and play. View her books at http://www.lesleypoling-kempes.com/mombooks.html.

There have been fictional accounts, created from historically accurate sources, about the Harvey Girls. My co-author, Artie Stockton, and I submitted our first Harvey Girl novel, Three Came by Rail, in May 1994. Tracie Peterson penned her delightful Desert Rose trilogy beginning with Shadows of the Canyon in 2002. Sheila Wood Foard wrote Harvey Girl (2006) for teens. Frances M. Wood wrote When Molly was a Harvey Girl (2010), a fictional account of her great-grandmother’s experience as a Harvey Girl.

During the research trips for Three Came by Rail, I had the opportunity to visit the Castaneda hotel and tour of some of the women’s room. Trips included Lamy, Belen, Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Las Vegas. Below, I’m at the Castaneda and below that is an old picture of the whole hotel.

Cynthia Hickey, who writes on the 3rd of each month for this CFHS blog, has an upcoming four book series "Finding Love the Harvey Girl Way" beginning in July, 2013. The first book is Cooking Up Love. Here's a preview-- TABITHA MCCLELLAND seeks employment as onr of "Harvey's Girls", moving to Topeka, Kansas, and a new life out West. Knowing one of the restrictions of her job is to remain single, Tabitha is dismayed when she begins to have feelings for the restaurant's cook. Surely, love can't be God's will for her life. It didn't go along with her plans at all. ADAM FOSTER works as a cook at Fred Harvey's restaurant in Topeka in order to save money to open his own restaurant in California. Although his parents are helping with half of the needed funds, he wants to pull his weight and signs a six-month contract with Fred Harvey. The last thing he wants is to fall in love. Tabitha wants a life of adventure. Adam wants to be an entrepreneur. Can they set aside their separate goals and find what truly matters?

The Harvey House web site at http://www.harveyhouses.net/index.html has a collection of photographs, links, and comments about various Harvey Houses in Arizona, California, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas.

Another site with pictures and information is http://harvey-house.info/.

New information about restored and renovated Harvey Houses is raising awareness and renewing interest in this era in history. The Castaneda Hotel in Las Vegas, New Mexico, considered one of the nation’s most promising and most endangered historical landmark is on the brink of rising from closure. News reports say that it will be restored. That’s great news.

Tom VanWormer, the "unofficial coordinator" for the Harvey Girls in Colorado, especially on the Colorado Midland, was able to document reimbursements from the Fred Harvey Company to the Colorado Midland in a 1893 ledger. Mr. VanWormer confirmed the discovery of three possibly four “new” Harvey locations in Colorado–which the company ran from 1890-1895, the years the Santa Fe owned the Colorado Midland. So it can now be reported there were Harvey Houses and Harvey Girls in: Cascade, Idyllwild, and Leadville.

It's been a pleasure sharing a bit about one of my passions with you.

Oh, the Harvey Chef served his eggs with minced chicken, mushrooms, and garnished with buttered asparagus tips.

Come back on April 27th and see what's going on.

Don't forget to leave a comment to be in the CFHS giveaways!

My give-away this month is a alpaca wool scarf knitted from an 1898 pattern used during the Spanish American war. Plus a fun scarf that’s all the rage now—Starbella Flash lace.

CFHS's GRAND PRIZE—Kindle.

Second Place winner will receive a $25 gift card to Amazon.

For each day you comment on a CFHS blog entry, you receive one entry in the Kindle and $25 Amazon gift card giveaway that will be drawn on April 1st. Comment on every post in the month of March and earn 31 entries! Enjoy the posts!

72 comments:

  1. So very interesting. The only thing I ever knew about the Harvey Girls was in a movie and I think Judy Garland played a Harvey Girl. :)

    Would love to be entered into your giveaway. I love scarves.

    Smiles & Blessings,
    Cindy W.

    countrybear52 AT yahoo DOT com

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    1. Hi Cindy, thanks for stopping by. You're in the drawing. Yes, Judy played a mail order bride turned Harvey Girl. I hadn't seen the movie before I read the 1992 article. The video story was the second place I stopped after the Library that day. I'm glad you enjoyed the article.

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  2. I don't recall every hearing of the Harvey Girls, well until now. Very interesting post. Please enter me in the giveaway. God Bless.
    debsbunch5[at]jesusanswers[dot]com

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    1. Hi Debbie, you're in the drawing. Thanks for stopping by. Now that you've heard of them, I bet you'll see more and more information about them. I think it's fascinating that more sites are being discovered.

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  3. I had not heard of the Harvey House before reading this. Thank you for sharing.

    griperang at embarqmail dot com

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    1. You're welcome Angela. Thank you for stopping by. I'm glad to see more fiction writers writing about the Harvey Girls. There are enough places and states, we could fill a long library shelf with books about them.

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  4. Despite having read all of Tracie Peterson's Harvey Girls books and having seen Judy Garland in the movie, I had never seen pictures of an actual Harvey House. That was very interesting! It's exciting to know that the Castaneda Hotel will be restored! What an interesting part of our history!

    jimmynmatthewsmom [at] netzero [dot] com

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    1. Hi Bethany, yes it's exciting about the Castaneda Hotel. Walking around in the bedrooms, seeing the layout of the halls, bathrooms, stairs to the kitchen and everything about it was exciting. The original fixtures were still there and pieces of furniture. You could almost hear the women chattering and the festive atmosphere.

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  5. Im from Texas born and raised too! So this is interesting, thanks for sharing!! Oh and would love to read your book !

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  6. Im from Texas born and raised too! So this is interesting, thanks for sharing!! Oh and would love to read your book !

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    1. Howdy Sara, we recently moved from Austin, after 43 years, to Chimney Rock, Colorado. You may be interested to know that Fred Harvey came to Texas later than the rest of the Southwest. Beginning in the 1890s there were Harvey locations in Amarillo, Brownwood, Canadian, Cleburne, Dallas, El Paso, Fort Worth, Gainesville, Galveston, Houston. Kingsville, Panhandle, Paris, Rosenberg, Silsbee, Slaton, Somerville, Sweetwater, and Temple. The company had a huge dairy farm in Temple that served the Texas and Oklahoma locations. There may be a site near you.

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  7. I had not heard about the Harvey House before. Very interesting! The scarves sound beautiful.
    pbclark(at)netins(dot)net

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    1. Thank you for stopping by. Knitting became a part of my writing life when I developed "trigger finger" in both hands. Knitting is very therapeutic. Crocheting hurts, but knitting doesn't - go figure! I especially like antique patterns, ones that reflect the period I write about, and this scarf is a joy to make.

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  8. I have heard about the Harvey girls, likely through Tracie Peterson's books. I am sharing this blog with my husband, who is an Executive Chef. He has never heard of the Harvey restaurants, and I know will find this quite as fascinating as I do!
    I am a knitter, but would love a scarf knitted by someone else....lol
    Betti
    bettimace(at)gmail(dot)com

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    1. Hi Betti, thanks for stopping by. You're in the drawing. So glad to meet a sister knitter. Your husband would enjoy the recipes that were created from old cookbooks found that the Harvey Houses. He might also enjoy the Harvey Girls Cookbook Project at http://fredharveycookbook.tumblr.com/. I'm a fan of pound cake and when I found the Harvey recipe for French Sponge Cake with Whipped Cream, I was intrigued. "Whip 7 eggs and 4 egg yolks over slow fire until thick. Remove and continue beating until cold." That's a technique that was new to me; probably not for an Executive Chef.

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  9. Loved the movie trailer & reading the history behind the Harvey girls - new info to me! Love homemade items - thanks for the opportunity to win the scarves!

    bonnieroof60@yahoo.com

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    1. Hi Bonnie, glad you enjoyed the post. You're in the drawing. Before I read Mrs. Latimer's article in 1992, I wasn't aware that I passed a Harvey diner at the Cleburne Depot every time we visited relatives on our way to Fort Worth, which also had a site. Now, I check out train depots everywhere we go.

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  10. Love the Harvey girls...watched the move countless times growing up...So neat to find out
    even more..

    thanks for the chance to win
    truckredford at gmail dot Com

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    1. Hi Eliza, thanks for stopping by. You're in the drawing. I had to stop and check the word count for the post many times because I enjoy the Harvey Girl topic so much. Glad you share the interest.

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  11. I've read a number of books about the Harvey Girls and loved each one. Thanks for the history lesson. I enjoyed learning more.

    Ginger
    ginger(dot)solomon(at)gmail(dot)com

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    1. Hi Ginger, thanks for stopping by. The renewed interest and awareness across the country is wonderful. New information is coming out regularly. In 1993, I had the opportunity to interview two women, who worked in Albuquerque. Their memories of those days were sharp and clear. Those were two of the best interviews I've ever done. I'm glad you enjoyed the post.

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  12. Great post on the Harvey Girls and Houses. I really enjoyed learning something new to me.
    may_dayzee (at) yahoo (dot) com

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    1. Thank you, Kay. I'm glad you enjoyed the post. This is a topic I could write about every day and probably not run out of material for at least a year.

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  13. No Harvey Girls in my family tree:( I did see the Judy Garland Movie, and read Tracie Peterso's series.
    Always looking for new ways to serve food. Thanks!

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    1. I can't claiming any either, Martha. Bummer! You would enjoy the Harvey Girls Cookbook Project at http://fredharveycookbook.tumblr.com/. I did the Hungarian Beef Goulash with Potato Dumplings. It didn't have the measurements for the paprika and salt, but light pinches did the trick. The recipe called for rolling the dumplings in buttered browned bread crumbs. That was a nice touch.

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  14. I don't think there are any Harvey Girls in my family, but I love watching the Judy Garland movie. Thanks for having the giveaway.

    Rose
    harnessrose(at)yahoo(dot)com

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, Rose. You're in the drawing. No Harvey Girls lurking among my branches either. Then again, so many folks don't realize their historical significance and think of them as simply food servers. Let's keep exploring our genealogy, one may turn up.

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  15. I have loved the Harvey Girls for a long time, too Lin! Can't wait to read your books about them!! So, get busy!

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    1. Hello-o-o, Rhonda!! So glad you stopped by. I love sharing my passion for the "Girls" with you. Yes, Mam! Just finished the second chap-by-chap last night. Stay tuned!

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  16. I loved your background information today! Who knew....

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    1. Hi Melody. Thank you. I could talk about the Harvey Girls until the cows come home. You'll have to let me know if you start seeing other references to them now that you're aware.

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  17. I am enjoying these Historical tales of our History. I would like to have my name in the drawing. I really don't remember these movies.
    MAXIE mac262(at)me(dot)com

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    1. Hi Maxie, you're in the drawing. The Harvey Girls movie with Judy Garland is classified as a musical romance. Lots of folks who aren't fond of musicals haven't heard of them; unless they're a Judy Garland fan.

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  18. Very interesting! I'd love to read the books.

    bcrug(at)myfairpoint(dot)net

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    1. Hi Connie, thanks. I enjoyed sharing. Local libraries and Amazon.com do a good job at corralling fiction and non-fiction about Fred Harvey and the Harvey Girls. I hope you find some that are most enjoyable.

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  19. I've heard of the Harvey Girls from a set of romance stories that came out a couple years ago...set in the Grand Canyon; but it was great to learn more about them from your post! Please enter me in your drawing and have a great day in Jesus!

    seventysevensusieq[at]yahoo[dot]com

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    1. Hi Susie, that would be Tracie Peterson's fine collection of stories. You're in the drawing. Thank you for your well wishes. Our Lord has provided a beautiful, although a little nippy, day here in Colorado.

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  20. A few years ago, my book club read Shelter of Hope by Tracie Peterson, from her Harvey House series. We took a field trip to Florence, Kansas to see the small Harvey House museum there. It was a lot of fun and really helped us get a good idea of how the Harvey Houses were.

    pmk56[at]sbcglobal[dot]net

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    1. Hi Pam, don't you just love field trips. I'm go glad you got to see the museum. It's great. When I started my site visit research, I had to go to some places more than once. There was so much information to gather and digest. I visited Lamy, New Mexico several years ago, but now can't find a single picture I took. Time for another field trip.

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  21. Loved all your thoughts! I have seen the movie on the Harvey Girls and thought it would be cool to read a book on them. I want to visit the museum mentioned above.
    Would love your scarves,they sound so special! jelliott53(at)Hotmail(dot)com

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    1. Jojo, thank you. You will pull some all-nighters once you start reading about the Harvey Girls whether fiction or non-fiction. I hope you're close enough to Florence, Kansas to go there. If not, let me know where you are and let's see if there something near you.

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  22. I have never heard this......very interesting! Thanks for sharing! I would love to be entered for your giveaway.
    Thanks!
    Jackie Smith
    jackie.smith[at]dishmail[dot]net

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    1. Hi Jackie, you're welcome. I'm glad you stopped by. You're entered in the drawing. Be on the look out for Cynthia Hickey's books about the Harvey Girls starting in July. You'll enjoy them.

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  23. I loved the movie with Judy Garland as a Harvey Girl.
    Thanks for entering me in the giveaway.
    Janet E.
    von1janet(at)gmail(dot)com

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    1. Hi Janet, thanks for stopping by. You're entered in the drawing. I've always enjoyed Cyd Charisse and her dancing, Chill Wills for just being himself, and Marjorie Main (from Ma and Pa Kettle fame)as the chief cook. They added a lot to the Harvey Girls movie.

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  24. Ms. Harris,

    Ooh boy!! I am not sure if I ever heard of this OR not, but what has me excited is the fact that I can go after books + films that bring this bustling part of history to life! Ooh boy! I quickly clicked over to my library's catalog and found: the complete Desert Roses series: Shadows of the Canyon, Across the Years, & Beneath a Harvest Sky by Tracie Peterson!! Unfortunately, the other titles I'll have to ILL in, including Judy Garland's wicked sweet classic! I'm a bit stunned that I haven't come across this beaut of a film via TCM, as I'm an avid watcher! :) I absolutely *love!* Americana culture such as this, as it harkens back to road tripping on Route 66, dropping by the neighbourhood Waffle House, and seeking out a way to see America that isn't necessarily on everyone's map of 'where' to be but rather a place to 'experience' because the 'experience' is the 'adventure!' ;)

    It's an awful shame that they do not have a similiar hospitality service industry today that would employ women in the same method of dignity and give them a leg up in a world that is hell bent against employment! :( I speak of experience, obviously! If I were bourne between the time period of the Harvey Houses, and wasn't wrapped up in the arts, I'd definitely would have responded to that advert! I mean, who wouldn't!? Besides, I have a natural tendency to go into food service, as I have worked in front/back house areas! :)

    Ooh boy! I cannot wait to read the posts coming up down the line!! You all give us such a hearty breadth of history, that its always such a happy delight to drop by!! Thank you for enlightening me on this part of history and for giving me a 'treasure map' of titles to seek out through the library! As you share your passions, I am finding a few new ones for myself! I'd love to travel throughout the Southwest, as its one of my Mum's favourite parts of America,... making darn sure I stop by the historical artifacts that surround the lifestyles of the "Harvey Girls"...

    I am DEF earmarking Ms. Hickey's book series,... !!
    And, I'll update you on the progress I'm making on the ILLs!!

    Musefully happy,
    Jorie

    inkand-blogaways(at)usa.net
    //Florida

    {ooh for pity's sake!} I completely forgot to even comment on the fact that your blogaway today warms my knitter's heart! I love the fact you used a pattern from the Spanish American War era {mostly as it makes me think of one of my Great-GrandDaddy's}, and secondly, because I love the fact that no matter how much time and dust sits on a knitting pattern {or quilting, for that matter!}, its always as fresh to us as a classic film running on Turner Classic! Each new door that opens that might be known to another, is in of itself a treasure because we've only just discovered it! :) What are your favourite fibers to knit with!? Mine are natural {plant/animal}, but as I knit with donated yarn in the prayer shawl ministry, I found that I'm {thankfully!} not allergic to *all!* synthetics, as I can handle two yarn label's acrylics! :) Baby alpaca and llama are so yummy soft and delicate, as the stitches knit together you feel metaphorically blissful! I'd love to pick up some merino wool lightweight and see if it can knit well for prayer shawls,... as I know for colder climates its best not to use synthetics! Not sure which bulky/or/worsted yarn is best for afghans, as although acrylic is tempting as its cost effective, I just cringe thinking I cannot find an alternative!

    Ooh, look at me?! Chattering and kibitizing on about yarn! Laughs. Have a wonderful Easter weekend and I hope you'll share your yarny adventures as much as your historical passions with us!

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    1. Hi Jorie, always a pleasure to chat with you. You're in the drawing. You're going to pull an all-nighter with Tracie's books. I know I did. I haven't seen the movie on TV in a long time. It used to come around regularly with "Thoroughly Modern Millie" - another one of my favorites. Take a look at your community's local history and see if the train depot nearest you has a Harvey history. I'm so thrilled to see things popping up on the Internet. When I was researching, I didn't have that advantage. Now, it's just wonderful. After a while, wools make my hands sensitive, especially if the yarn is homespun. I have friends who supply me with natural fiber and sometimes the carding isn't as thorough as it should be.

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    2. And, likewise with you, Ms. Harris! :)

      I did remember you had trouble with your hands, which reminds me of myself, as I have topical allergies I have to work around, but I wasn't sure if your condition limited the fibers, and I was thankful to see that it doesn't! I'm not even sure how well I'd knit with homespun yarns due to the nature of how they're produced and how fiberously thick they tend to be! However, I've dreamt of their textures whilst browsing etsy many a' time! I simply adore etsy on soo many levels, I am sure you do as well! :)

      Hmm... your quite right in regards to Ms. Peterson! I do recollect that I strained me eyes {nearly!} in concluding Dawn's Prelude! I wasn't even under a deadline to return the book ~ I simply "had!" to know what was going to happen in the end!! Laughs! Don't you just gravitate towards those types of writers!? Whereupon your roped in so tightly, that you cannot function nearly until each and every last page is consumed!? :) I get that way with Nancy Atherton's Aunt Dimity series; Jennifer Chiaverini's Elm Creek; & Laurie R. King's Mary Russell series! :)

      Hmm... now that is not something that would have dawned on me as I thought the Harvey Girls were strictly from the Plains - Westward, so I shall see what I can unearth! They retrofitted our rails to walkways, which is such a wonderous gift for everyone no matter where they live as the trail runs North to South straight down the middle bits and East to West in the panhandle! :)

      Ooh I know! In the mid-90s whilst penning my first novel, I had the energizing fascination with 'cold calling' for research purposes! That was the ONLY constructed way to gain material for the book, because A. I didn't have a local library outside of 40 minutes! B. The internet was in infancy! and C. Cross-country road trips were a bit out of the question! Laughs. I still like to conduct research the old fashioned way, but I use the internet as a jumping stone tool to navigate where to head off to next! It's a bit like how I am simply *loving!* the CFHS, the CQ, OWG, and WoP... due to the depth of enter level research that is being shared to encourage you to dig deeper after you've read what's posted!

      I was quite sorry to hear the carding isn't always done right,... I haven't worked with farm fresh fiber as of yet, but my Mum has been educating me on the process by which the fiber goes through to become 'yarn'!! I'd love to take up spinning in the future, as I know you can buy 'shares' of fiber animals and get fresh roving during their season! I'll have to remember to pay particular attention to the carding practices!! THANK YOU for the head's up!

      Happily,
      Jorie

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  25. I am learning so much this month on this website. Don't know that I've ever heard of the Harvey girls but found the info to be very interesting. Thanks for the opportunity to be entered in the giveaway...Linda
    dmcfarl101(at)juno(dot)com

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    1. Hi Linda, delighted that you enjoyed the post. I could go on and on about this women. What a wonderful historical legacy for this part of our nation. You're in the drawing. If you're just now joining us, zip over to the February archive and check out the ladies who have been posting.

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  26. This was so interesting, Lin! Makes me want to get back to researching. Thanks for posting!!

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    1. Hi Barb, you know we have tons of history right in our backyards. So close, it's almost criminal not to take advantage of it. I can just hear your historical gears grinding!!!

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  27. Wow, that was very interesting! The coffee cup position as to what to drink might come in handy here at my house. ;) Thank you for the fun post!
    farmygirl at hotmail dot com

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    1. Thanks, Sue, it was fun writing it. Because of the length of this article I left out - Black Tea: cup right side up, handle point at high noon; Green Tea: cup right side up, handle at 3 o'clock; Orange Pekoe Tea: cup right side up, handle at 9 o'clock. The things they had to know etiquette-wish was astounding.

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    2. Oh my goodness, I would have totally failed miserably at remembering it all. :)

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  28. Sounds like a neat book --also, I'd never heard of that Judy Garland movie, but as someone who has just gotten into classic movie musicals, I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for that one!

    jafuchi7[at]hawaii[dot]edu

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    1. Hi, so glad you stopped by. You'll enjoy the movie. It's toe-tapping, funny, and downright enjoyable. After you watch it, try Thoroughly Modern Millie starring Julie Andrews.

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  29. I didn't know about the Harvey Girls. Having training alike, and delicious food, travelers would know what they were getting in advance of their stay and look forward to it. I would like to learn about the dining cars in railroad lines. I think that would be very interesting too. Thank you for the post. I am off to check up on the references you have given! Kathleen ~ Lane Hill House
    lanehillhouse[at]centurylink[dot]net

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    1. Hi Kathleen, I had the opportunity to go to Lamy, New Mexico and board a working dining car. It was fascinating. The whole dining car experience while riding a train is marvelous. I'm learning about the Colorado Midland railroad right now. That's interesting, also.

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  30. Love stories about the Harvey Girls!

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    1. Hi Tess, glad you stopped by. They are a fascinating group of women. The true life stories and places are incredible.

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  31. I read about the Harvey Girls in a Christian series book I have been racking my brain to remember what it was called. I think it was something like the Grand Canyon Brides. The Harvey Girls weren't to be married while being employed by them so... It was very interesting. I enjoyed your information that you provided on them also. I really enjoy these columns because I really enjoy the unique historical information in them. I guess that is why I love historical based novels. Thanks for the info.
    Helen
    hmmbailey@live.ca

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    1. Hi Helen, thanks for stopping by. You probably read Tracie Peterson's top notch series. Not being able to marry must have put a kink in a lot of relationships. I'm still uncovering stories of weddings the day after the year was up.

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  32. Very interesting. I have read Tracie Peterson's series. Such an interesting piece of history! Thank you for sharing about the Harvey girls.
    Nancycooks4u@gmail.com

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    1. Hi Nancy, you're welcome. It was a joy to write about them. You're right, this is a fun time in history. glad you stopped by.

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  33. I have always been fascinated by the Harvey Girls! Thanks for the fun article!
    Tammy tatertam1@aol.com

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    1. Hi Tammy, thanks for stopping by. The more I read about them the most fascinating they come. New information is being uncovered all the time. It's like being part of a living history.

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  34. Good Morning,Random.org selected Tammy Anderson as the recipient of the scarves. Thank each of you for commenting on the Harvey Girls blog entry. I hope you will make CFHS a regular part of your daily blog reading.

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  35. I love this blog. I'm learning so much!
    Diana

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    1. Hi Diana, so glad you are enjoying the postings. I hope you will join us regularly. It's a lot of fun to share what we're learning as we write our historical fiction.

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  36. Good afternoon! Just heard about your web site through Facebook! It was so fun reading your article and all the posts. I worked for the Santa Fe/BNSF Railway for 33 years. I fell in love with the Harvey Girls in 1979. I had to laugh when you referred to the article in Texas Highway magazine! I collected any written article about Fred Harvey I could find in the early years and I still have that magazine today. Fred Harvey history has always just been a hobby for me...helping others write books and articles or assisting young students with their national history presentations/papers. I have been blessed to be part of so many peoples lives through the years, including Tracie Peterson, Lesley Poling-Kempes and Stephen Fried. Right now I am assisting a young man from Topeka who is portraying Ford Harvey (Fred's son) for national history day competition. He has won local level and will be competing at state level in April and if he wins, then will compete nationally
    in June.

    Love your web site!

    Brenda Thowe (harvey.girl@live.com)

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    1. Brenda, thank you so much for leaving a comment. It's a pleasure to meet you. Writing this article was such fun and a chance to use a small portion of the research. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I've seen your name many times as I traversed the path of finding accurate Harvey Girls information.I think it was from Stephen Fried that I first saw you referred to as "the queen of every thing Harvey Girls." Thank you so much for all your contributions to the treasure trove of information. My granddad worked on the Cotton Belt Railroad in Arkansas. My love for trains goes back to my dad's passion for them. I wish I could be in Santa Fe on the 11th at the La Fonda to hear you speak. That would be a wonderful treat. I'm expecting you'll have a full to overflowing audience. If, by chance, there's an empty chair know that I'm there in spirit. I hope we'll meet in person one day during our research about Fred and these marvelous young women.

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