The Harvey Girls: Civilizers of the Wild West

The Santa Fe Railroad provided passenger train service between Kansas and New Mexico beginning in the late 1800s replacing the old stagecoach Santa Fe Trail. Fred Harvey opened eating houses along the railroad providing high standards of dining at train stops. He recruited young women from throughout the country to work in his restaurants. Based on the 1946 MGM movie musical The Harvey Girls starring Judy Garland and the Academy Award winning song On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe.

Presented by: Rick Feingold teaches American Business History at Bergen Community College and holds an MBA from Penn State University and a B.A.in History from Rutgers University.