When Fred Harvey decided to start a restaurant chain, determined to give railroad passengers better culinary experiences than he himself had had on his many train journeys, he didn’t know that he would be doing far more than jumpstarting America’s restaurant industry.
Harvey Houses (and eventually, hotels) became known for their outstanding quality, standardized from place to place so you always knew that if you ordered steak, for instance, it would be the exact same high quality, no matter the restaurant. However, the real appeal of Fred Harvey’s industry, the reason so many people still remember his businesses today, is because of the Harvey Girls.
Far more than mere waitresses, the Harvey Girls were a group of courageous young women who ventured west to hire on with Mr. Harvey, not really knowing the scope of the challenges they would be facing. Ultimately, these women became the wives, mothers, daughters, aunts, sisters, and grandmothers who helped populated the west.
Using the work experience they gained at Harvey Houses, they also became some of the country’s first female archaeologists, architects, doctors, lawyers, etc. In truth, Harvey Houses were a springboard for the women who helped shape the western half of the United States, in more ways than one, and this introduction to the series unfolds that riveting story.
Then, Book 1 of the Harvey Girl series, A Love So Legendary, tells the story of the first New Mexico Harvey House, set in the rough and tumble, isolated little town of Raton. When Mary Jane Colter hires on as a Harvey Girl, she has dreams that few women of her day and age are allowed to fulfill.
Then she meets Tom Gable, the Raton Harvey House manager, and not only finds the love of a lifetime but a man who might just help her chase her wild dreams. Then a dangerous mystery puts their brand-new relationship to the test and risks their very lives.
Love and legend collide as Mary Jane and Tom walk right out of the pages of history and into a timeless romance that could only ever take place in New Mexico, the Land of Enchantment.