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Posted 8 years ago
PastimePro
(46 items)
I believe this is a picture of the folks who built the bridge I posted earlier, although it could also be railroad workers, as we did have the round house here years ago.
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They all have aprons on, and one of them has a chefs hat on. So, I would think there all cooks or apprentice cooks. I can see at least two badly soiled aprons so maybe they're the ones that dealt with the meat?
The building behind them-difficult to tell. Looks cold outside though.
They might be "Harvey Girls"
who traveled to stops around after the turn of the century and well beyond. and served food at the Harvey Restaurants around the west. They were free to walk around the towns. They are dressed in the photo like "Harvey Girls" , Some info below in case that is what they actually are!
Something about Fred Harvey and his "girls"
Fred Harvey drew on his prior restaurant experience and came up with a new idea. However, when he approached his manager with the concept of building a network of restaurants along the AT&SF railroad line, it was refused. This changed in a chance meeting with Charles Morse, superintendent of the AT&SF. Again, Harvey pitched his idea. Morse, who was a gourmet, loved the concept and fully supported Harvey.
Before long, the first Harvey House Restaurant opened in the Topeka, Kansas Santa Fe Depot Station in 1876. Leasing the lunch counter at the depot, Harvey’s business focused on cleanliness, service, reasonable prices, and good food. It was an immediate success. Impressed with his work, the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe soon turned over control of food service along the rail line. The Harvey Houses became the first chain restaurants, with the Topeka depot becoming the training base for the new chain along the Santa Fe Route.
Soon Harvey lunchrooms extended from Kansas to California. By the late 1880's, there was a Harvey establishment every one hundred miles along the Santa Fe line. Setting high standards for efficiency and cleanliness, the food was always served on china and customers were required to wear coats.
Harvey found that the men he hired to work in his restaurants were as wild as the west was.
Coming up with yet another new concept, he began hiring women at a time when the only jobs for respectable females were as domestics or teachers. Harvey began to recruit them in newspaper ads across the nation. In order to qualify as one of the "Harvey Girls,” the women had to have at least an eighth grade education, good moral character, good manners, and be neat and articulate. Harvey paid good wages, as much as $17.50 per month with free room, board, and uniforms. In return for employment, the Harvey Girls would agree to a six month contract, agree not to marry, and abide by all company rules during the term of employment. In no time, these became much sought after jobs. When they were hired, they were given a free rail pass to their chosen destination.
In the 1890's, the Santa Fe Railway began including dining cars on some of its trains with Harvey getting the contact for the food service.
Fred Harvey
Fred Harvey (1835-1901)
He soon took a succession of jobs on the riverboats, then at the St. Joseph, Missouri post office. From there he sorted mail for the first railroad post office in Leavenworth, Kansas.
During this time, the young entrepreneur noticed that the lunchrooms serving rail passengers were deplorable and most trains did not have dining cars, even on extended trips. The custom at the time was typically to make dining stops every 100 miles or so. Sometimes there would be a restaurant at the station, but more often than not, there was nothing to feed the famished travelers. The dining stops were also short, no longer than an hour, and the passengers were expected to find a restaurant, order their meal, and get served in this short amount of time. Remember, in those days, there were no fast food restaurants.
When the train was ready to go, it left, often leaving passengers stranded at the station. Seeing all this, Fred Harvey drew on his prior restaurant experience and came up with a new idea. However, when he approached his manager with the concept of building a network of restaurants along the AT&SF railroad line, it was refused. This changed in a chance meeting with Charles Morse, superintendent of the AT&SF. Again, Harvey pitched his idea. Morse, who was a gourmet, loved the concept and fully supported Harvey.
Before long, the first Harvey House Restaurant opened in the Topeka, Kansas Santa Fe Depot Station in 1876. Leasing the lunch counter at the depot, Harvey’s business focused on cleanliness, service, reasonable prices, and good food. It was an immediate success. Impressed with his work, the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe soon turned over control of food service along the rail line. The Harvey Houses became the first chain restaurants, with the Topeka depot becoming the training base for the new chain along the Santa Fe Route.
Hi Post Card (I'm sorry I don't know your name) -
I love all the history you've posted - it's very interesting. How did you know about Harvey?
These are definitely not Harvey 'Girls' in the photo?
You've got me hooked on the Harvey Girls!
http://www.thelocalbeet.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/detail_1209_his_harveygirls.jpg
Hope this link brings up a photo.
Agree-- look like cooks/ kitchen staff for some large business venture.
Don't see a girl in the group!
scott
Do you have any more photos of the bridge from different angles? What I believe I'm seeing in the last photo is an old steam operated crane moving on false work over the ice possibly putting fill in steel on the bottom side of the bridge.
And for sure the first photo is not of the bridge / ironworkers.
The second photo could be the housing for the workers as there would be a few constructing the bridge probably explains the cooks, apprentices and bullcooks( clean rooms etc.)
Such an interesting piece of history!!
No, sorry these were all there were.