The Harvey Girls: Women Who Opened the West [Paperback]

Lesley Poling-Kempes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 4, 1994

Interviews, historical research, and photos recreate the Harvey Girl experience of women who came to the west to work as waitresses, but many stayed and settled, founding cattle and mining towns.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A story that seems to have completely vanished from the national memory. For giving it new life, Poling-Kempes deserves gratitude and praise."

Jonathon Yardley --Washington Post Book World

About the Author

Lesley Poling-Kempes is the author of five award winning books about the land and people of the American Southwest. For more information about Lesley and her books please visit her website at lesleypoling-kempes.com.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (July 4, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1569249261
• ISBN-13: 978-1569249260
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #319,672 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I have lived in the region near Abiquiu, New Mexico for thirty years, sharing this magical place with my husband, Jim, our two children, and a host of dogs and cats. Writing about the place I call home -- Abiquiu and the high desert and mountain country of northern New Mexico -- is both an honor and a gift.

Writing the story of the Harvey Girls and the Santa Fe Railway introduced me to a world of people and places I would never have known about. The books "Valley of Shining Stone" and "Ghost Ranch" are both about my home country, and researching and writing these stories was challenging and remarkable.

I have recently completed a second novel, "Bone Horses." Although not a sequel to my first novel, "Canyon of Remembering," "Bone Horses" does take place in the same part of the world: contemporary but mythical northern New Mexico.

In 2012 I am embarking on a new book adventure -- the story of four women friends who explored the land and people of the American Southwest in the first decades of the 20th century.

For more information about all of my books and projects please visit my website at lesleypoling-kempes.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Delicious Slice of America's History!, January 22, 2003

By 

"rheishman" (Indiana) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Harvey Girls: Women Who Opened the West (Paperback)

This is a wonderful history book disguised as a fast-moving novel.I had no knowledge of Fred Harvey's enterprises,or of the Harvey Girls,and how they affected the settling of the West along the routes of the Sante Fe Railroad. I've read extensively about the settling of the American West, but why have these people not been recognized before now? Lesley Poling-Kempes has done this country a great service by doing her extensive research on the subject of these gutsy ladies who had the courage to hop a train and set out on their own, into the uncertain world of the old West.If you enjoy reading about strong women, the settling of the American West,American entrepeneurship, or the power of the role of the railroads in shaping America, you'll enjoy this fast-paced read.It's something totally fresh and new for history buffs.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating Slice of History, August 8, 2003

By 

"contessa2000" (Fort Worth, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Harvey Girls: Women Who Opened the West (Paperback)

I have traveled throughout the Southwest for the last 20 years, and have seen references to the Harvey Girls here and there. I finally decided to read this book out of curiosity, and discovered an incredible story that is entirely left out of our history books. The story of these young women who brought gentility to the West, leaving their families and homes far behind, is fascinating and enlightening. This book is a page-turner, and the history of the Santa Fe Railroad and the Harvey Houses is something that should not be lost in the mists of time. Ms. Poling-Kempes is a gifted and entertaining writer, and I look forward to reading her other books on the Southwest.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating true stories of women who shaped western history, October 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Harvey Girls: Women Who Opened the West (Paperback)

From the 1880's to the 1950's, the Harvey Girls went west to work in Fred Harvey's restaurants along the Santa Fe railway--from Chicago to Los Angeles.

At a time when there were "no ladies west of Dodge City and no women west of Albuquerque", they came as waitresses, but many stayed and settled, founding the struggling cattle and mining towns that dotted the region.

Poling-Kempes has created the gold standard for writing and reporting on women in the west. Aside from 10 years research, archival studies, photo retrieval, the author contacted in person and by telephone and correspondence some eighty former employees that once totaled 100,00.

This unique, unduplicated history is alive with color and original narrative. Major reviews by the NY Times, American Heritage, Parade. Writing in the Washington Post Book World Jonathon Yardley sums it up

"A story that seems to have completely vanished from the national memory; for giving it new life, Poling-Kempes deserves gratitude and praise."

Poling-Kempes has other titles on this theme:Far From Home--West By Rail With The Harvey Girls and The Golden Era--West by Rail With the Harvey Girls. Illustrations for this paper doll history are by famous fashion illustrator Lynette C. Ross. Books available from Texas Tech University Press 1-800-832-4042.

Her novel, Canyon Of Remembering and Valley of Shining of Stone-The Story of Abiquiu explore the rich and at times, mysterious, life of the Southwest.