Fred Harvey Company

Company History: Working in concert with the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway, English-born immigrant Fred Harvey opened the first of his highly successful Harvey Houses in 1876 in Topeka, Kansas. The travelers of that era typically traveled west from Chicago on hard wooden seats in overcrowded coaches. Most railroad food was poor or even inedible. Harvey devised an ingenious telegraph system to notify his restaurants well in advance of train arrivals, making it possible to feed hundreds of passengers in a short period of time. By offering good food served promptly—in sharp contrast to many other early Western eateries—Harvey enjoyed tremendous success. The famous “Harvey Girls”, carefully trained, well-groomed young women who were hired as waitresses, further increased customer traffic. Before long, Harvey was operating restaurants, hotels, gift shops and newsstands in increasing numbers along the railroad route. Harvey also introduced travelers to the unique character and culture of the American Southwest as his rest houses became gathering places for visitors searching for mementos of Indian cultures. Fine Native American crafts became hallmarks of his shops, many of which also employed regional artisans to demonstrate their skills. Harvey established legendary relationships with Native American craftspeople, developing merchandise lines so authentic that museums including the Smithsonian have seen fit to include these products in their collections.https://www.xanterra.com/who-we-are/our-fred-harvey-legacy/

Brief History: The U.S. is a country of 50 states covering a vast swath of North America, with Alaska in the northwest and Hawaii extending the nation’s presence into the Pacific Ocean. Major Atlantic Coast cities are New York, a global finance and culture center, and capital Washington, DC. Midwestern metropolis Chicago is known for influential architecture and on the west coast, Los Angeles' Hollywood is famed for filmmaking.