The Harvey Girls: The Women Who Civilized the West
Grade 5-9-The story of the adventurous and talented women who left the East and Midwest to work in the renowned Sante Fe Railroad restaurant chain established by Fred Harvey after the Civil War, and which continued to operate until 1950. These carefully groomed, capable waitresses and hostesses had a civilizing effect on the rough men of the frontier, and "...played as big a part in settling the West as most men who traveled to this region during the latter half of the nineteenth century." The book is well researched, and Morris makes excellent use of comments gleaned from interviews with former Harvey Girls. The narrative is lively, conversational, and spiced with wry humor that will interest even reluctant readers. It includes descriptions of railroad towns in the unsettled West, points out the importance of Harvey's entrepreneurial talents, and briefly explains the rise and fall of the railroads. The book is illustrated with many black-and-white photos of the restaurants and of the women who devoted years of service to them. A solid treatment of an aspect of Western history seldom considered in other texts.Phyllis Graves, Creekwood Middle School, Kingwood, TXCopyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.