Tourism in the Southwest was almost nonexistent when the railroads began traveling to the West Coast. But Fred Harvey’s hospitality company saw an opportunity to pioneer the leisure travel in the area. Harvey House already had a southwest presence with hotels and restaurants along the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe rail lines. Why not give the passengers a peek at the area that they saw only through the rail car windows?
As people traveled West on their way to New Mexico, Arizona, or California, Harvey House staff members heard their questions: “What is this countryside like?” “Who are the ‘Indians’ everyone talks about?” “Local people are selling items outside restaurants. What are they?” “If I want to see the area, how can I do so?”
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The Collector for Fred Harvey Company
People from other parts of the United States were fascinated by the beauty of the country surrounding them. They also took note of the Native American and Hispanic art that was created by those living in the area.
In Stephen Fried’s book, Appetite for America, he tells of Herman Schweizer, one of the two Jewish employees working in top executive jobs for the Harvey company. Schweizer, a German immigrant, initially sold oranges on Santa Fe trains and was soon spotted for a job with the company. He became a manager of a Harvey House restaurant in Gallup, New Mexico.
Schweizer loved living in the Southwest. During his free time, he traveled by horseback to nearby Navajo trading posts and villages to learn about and buy Indian-made pottery, blankets, and jewelry. Over time, he acquired great knowledge of the Native American art.
The Harvey House Company eventually made him head of the Indian department. The company architect, Mary Jane Elizabeth Colter, designed restaurants and buildings with a Southwest feel, so the items Schweizer found could be put to good use.
Schweizer became nationally respected for his expertise. People like newspaper magnate and budding collector William Randolph Hearst sometimes stopped by to ask Schweizer’s opinion on various items.
Indian Art Museum
As Schweizer brought back the items he purchased from the Native Americans, Harvey management remarked on the fact they might try establishing an Indian Art Museum at the El Alvarado Hotel. The hotel was under construction in Albuquerque in 1901-02.
Fred Harvey died in 1901, so the company management was taken over by his son Ford Harvey. David Benjamin, one of Fred Harvey’s first employees, also co-managed the company. The men assigned Mary Jane Elizabeth Colter, the company’s in-house decorator and architect, to create a museum space near the Albuquerque railroad station. Tourists could get off the train for a bit and wander through the art on display.
Schweizer added space for some of the Navajos to practice their crafts. The Navajos were appreciative, and the tourists loved seeing how items were created. Whether the Native Americans were weaving, beading, or making pottery, the tourists loved seeing the artists at work.
Souvenir Shops
Of course, a souvenir shop followed. The museum soon started selling smaller pieces of art and jewelry. (The Harvey House company and the Santa Fe railroad were partners in business, so what made sense for one entity tended to make sense for the other.)
The curio shop in Albuquerque was not the first retail shop under Fred Harvey purview. A curio shop in San Diego (Burnell’s Curio Shop) was among those that pre-dated the El Alvarado. It was established in 1887. An ad for the business provides a list of the types of things most of the shops would have sold: “Navajo jewelry and rugs, Mexican, Indian and California curiosities, and souvenir goods.” Also “Native gemstones and jewelry, beads and popular novelties and Indian moccasins.”
The Fred Harvey Company also commissioned artists, photographers, and writers to document the Southwest. The photos were made into postcards that tourists snapped up. The art and the writings were often used for brochures or added to the bottoms of menus to increase interest in the area.
Schweizer realized that souvenir sales could be increased if the items were relatively portable and less expensive. For the jewelry, Schweizer invested in thinner silver and a slightly lesser-quality turquoise that could be used by the Native Americans. This brought prices down, which increased sales.
Expanding Tourism
As the tribes saw that money could be made by selling items to tourists, they were likely more receptive to Harvey House management’s next proposal. The Fred Harvey Company was in search of a way to increase train travel.
Economic difficulties plagued the country in the early 1900s, and travel had fallen off. People were beginning to travel by automobile. They couldn’t go as far as they could on a train, but if a family saved up for a car, they likely didn’t have money for train tickets.
Management was looking for a way to jump-start enthusiasm for adventure by rail.
But World War I loomed. There wasn’t much opportunity to improve train travel before that. Changes did not happen until the 1920s when Harvey Company and the AT & SF came up with new workable ideas.
Southwest Tours
The Harvey Company came up with a new concept: tours through the Southwest. Calling their idea “Indian Detours,” the management planned specialized tours. Some were designed as day trips. Other excursions were three-day trips with food and lodging all taken care of at Harvey House locations.
The plan was to base the tourist office in Santa Fe. People would stay at the La Fonda (a Harvey House property), and Harvey cars would take them to see the awe-inspiring beauty of locations around the area, including the panoramic majesty of the Grand Canyon.
In addition to trips to the Grand Canyon, the tourist office mapped out the possibilities, including Indian ruins like the cliff dwellings as well as stopping by some of the tribal villages where people still lived.
Investing in Their Plan: Proper Touring Cars
If the company was to maintain the high standards of Harvey House, the touring cars and the guides needed to be top-flight.
The first decisions involved the vehicles. The touring cars they purchased included Packards, Franklins, Cadillacs, and White Motor Company buses. Customers would travel in style.
From their own travel around the Southwest, management knew that the cars would take a beating. The roads were unpaved, so the dust kicked up was considerable. The cars would be thoroughly cleaned after each tour. (Generally, each vehicle had to be replaced after two years of service.)
The Best Drivers
Harvey management hired young men to be drivers. They were given special training. The roads they would travel with tourists were often curved and steep, almost always unpaved, and often through mountainous territory. It took skill and practice to manage the big cars. These automobiles were a far cry from today’s “all-terrain vehicles.”
Drivers were also required to have four years of experience as a mechanic. If something happened on the road, the driver could take care of it.
To add to the spirit of the tour, the drivers would dress in western attire.
Harvey House Guides
In deference to the excellent experience the Harvey House Company had with the Harvey Girls (their waitresses), it was decided that all tour guides would be women. The women hired were cheerful and welcoming, and the company provided them with the knowledge they needed for tours.
The women who were accepted were put through a four-month training course. Well-prepared speakers came to the classroom to talk about the Southwest. The women were taken on trips to see the sights, and the Harvey Company provided books for self-study.
They also needed uniforms that differed from the black-and-white Harvey Girls clothing. Some of the Harvey Girls in the Southwest were already wearing more colorful uniforms—velveteen skirts with white tops, silver concha belts and squash blossom necklaces with hats would be perfect for the guides.
In May 1926, one year after the program was conceived, the Indian Detours officially began.
Advice for Tourists
The travel brochures created by the company were very detailed. The people could read about the places they would visit, and they were told about what to expect from travel. No matter the weather, tourists were told to wear good shoes for walking. “Ladies will find light coats acceptable in summer; for winter months suits with heavy coats are suggested.”
The Tours
The three-day tour is a good example of the itinerary. The group departed from La Fonda in Santa Fe and traveled to Frijoles Canyon, Puye Cliffs (cliff dwellings), and Taos and back. Part of the trip was along what is now known as the Scenic High Road.
There were many opportunities for guides to suggest stops along the way. The travelers were given opportunities to get out of the car and stroll through the ruins. In the Indian communities, they sometimes bought items from the Native Americans.
One writer (article posted in 2014) noted that for tourists, the experience of wandering through an inhabited Native American community was more like visiting what we now know as a “living museum.” Actual interaction between the travelers and the Native Americans was very limited. (Indian Detours Then and Now—Santa Fe Selection)
Business Slowdown
As the economy worsened during the 1930s, the number of travelers dropped. New Mexico was also working on road improvement. This meant that some tourists still wanted to see the sites, but they chose to drive their cars instead.
The Harvey House Company was never able to revive the “Harvey Cars” tourism business, but the company forever changed the nature of visiting the Southwest by introducing cultural tourism.