Ms. Lutzick will explore the historical and cultural repercussions of the Fred Harvey Company’s use of “Harvey Girls” in Arizona. The famous Fred Harvey Company operated its exceptional chain of restaurants and hotels along the Santa Fe Railway from 1876 through the 1950s. Among Harvey’s many pioneering innovations was the widespread employment of “women of character,” the Harvey Girls. Subject to strict wardrobe and conduct requirements, these single women were asked to leave their families and towns, and to commit to a term of service or forfeit half their pay. Many of them did just that in order to marry local men and settle down, and the mythology that surrounds the Harvey Girls credits them with “civilizing” the Southwest. Their determination and sense of adventure, in a time when few women held jobs outside the home, exemplified the changing roles of women in America and the West. This visual presentation features images of the famous “Harvey Girl” waitresses, who insured that the Fred Harvey Company’s impact on the American West was cultural and well as culinary.
Ann-Mary J. Lutzick worked for Arizona Humanities Council from 1999 to 2008, and is currently coordinating their Smithsonian traveling exhibition Key Ingredients: America by Food. She is also an adjunct instructor of U.S. History at Northland Pioneer College. Ann-Mary received an M.A. in Public History/History from ASU, and a history B.A. from the University of Virginia.
