The Harvey Girls

The Buffalo Bill Museum is sponsoring several "Women in History" afternoon Tea events. 

The speaker, Carol Knealey, does her presentation wearing an authentic Harvey Girl uniform.  She will share this fascinating almost-forgotten chapter in American History.  After the Civil War, thousands of young single women left their homes in the East to go West to work as waitresses in Fred Harvey’s restaurants.  Fred Harvey was Ray Kroc before MCDonald’s...and he built a restaurant empire along the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe railroad line.  Because there were very few women west of the Mississippi, Will Rogers said, "the Harvey Girls kept the West in food -- and wives".   They were the women who tamed the Wild West.