Setting the Standard: The Fred Harvey Company and Its Legacy

Posted on December 29, 2023

Will Rogers noted that Fred Harvey “kept the West in food—and wives.” But the company’s Harvey Girls are by no means its only legacy. From the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway’s 1879 arrival in New Mexico to the 1970 demolition of Albuquerque’s Alvarado Hotel, the Fred Harvey name and its company’s influence have been felt across New Mexico, not to mention the American West. More>>

The New Mexico History Museum

Wheels Museum

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Put these dates on your calendar; May 6-7. Going big time at WHEELS!! ... See MoreSee Less

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Mary Colter designed the Indian Building that was adjacent to the Alvarado Hotel, just north of the Railyard in Albuquerque.March is Women's History Month and March 8 is International Women's Day. Mary Colter was inducted into the Arizona Women's Hall of Fame in 1986. This is the information shared about her in the Hall of Fame. Millions of people visit the Grand Canyon each year, many of them passing through a building designed by Mary Jane Colter. Colter’s buildings there, including Bright Angel Lodge, Phantom Ranch, Hermit’s Rest, and Lookout Studio, seem to blend into their surroundings, and this was Colter’s intention. “Colter’s philosophy was that a building should grow out of its setting, embodying the history and flavor of the location,” wrote Virginia Grattan, Colter’s biographer. “It should belong to its environment as though indigenous to that spot.”Colter was born on April 4, 1869 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. As a child, she wanted to be an artist, and later she enrolled in the California School of Design in San Francisco. She worked there as an apprentice architect to help fund her studies, gaining exposure to new architectural theories based on the idea that buildings should be sympathetic to their environment rather than copies of European styles.After completing her education at the California School of Design, Colter began a 15-year teaching career at Mechanic Arts High School in St. Paul, Minnesota. Teaching jobs were plentiful for women during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. However, Colter remained interested in design and found a summer job with the Fred Harvey Company in 1902, decorating the interior of the “Indian Building” that was adjacent to Harvey’s new Alvarado Hotel in Albuquerque. In 1902, the Harvey Company commissioned Colter to design the Hopi House at the Grand Canyon. Colter wanted to create a building that would fit the natural setting and reflect the history of the region. Because Hopis had lived in the Grand Canyon area for hundreds of years, Colter patterned the building after Hopi dwellings in Oraibi, Arizona.After completing the Hopi House, Colter returned to her teaching job and then took another position in Seattle as a department store decorator. In 1910, the Fred Harvey Company offered her a permanent position as architect and interior designer of Harvey facilities. She moved to Kansas City and worked at the company’s headquarters.During Colter’s forty-six years with the Harvey Company, she was responsible for 21 projects, including La Fonda Hotel in Santa Fe, La Posada in Winslow, and the Union Stations in Kansas City, St. Louis, and Los Angeles. Her style of architecture became known as National Park Service Rustic. Many National Park Service structures built between the 1920s and 1940s used native stone and rough-hewn wood. Characteristic of this style is the History Room of Bright Angel Lodge where Colter had a “geological fireplace” built. It features rocks hauled from the canyon floor and arranged in the same order as the strata of the canyon’s walls. Mary Jane Colter died on January 8, 1956 in Santa Fe, New Mexico at the age of 88. ... See MoreSee Less

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A successful sale at WHEELS Museum on March 7 brought hobbyists to shop, many making their first visit to the museum… and we hope they’ll return! ... See MoreSee Less

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Storytime at the Wheels Museum

March 26, 2026 at 10:00 am - 11:00 am

Wheels Museum 1100 2nd St SW, Albuquerque, NM 87102 Phone: (505) 243-6269 Admission is Free, but donations are gladly accepted.

Commuting by Rail

March 28, 2026 at 10:00 am - 11:00 am

Join John Taylor for a presentation on commuting by rail. He will share insights and stories about how rail transportation shapes the daily travel experience and connects people to where they need to go. Wheels Museum 1100 2nd St SW, Albuquerque, NM 87102 Phone: (505) 243-6269 Admission is Free, but donations are gladly accepted.

Abraham Santillanes - Why turn left at Albuquerque? Albuquerque, Route 66 and the many roads that came before.

March 28, 2026 at 11:00 am - 12:30 pm

Transportation played an important role in bringing Albuquerque to the significant position it holds today in New Mexico. Starting with Francisco Coronado’s trek from Mexico, through Juan de Oñate establishing the Camino Real, to William Becknell opening the Santa Fe Trail, many routes led to the original Albuquerque we now call Old Town. Later the...

TRACKS AND TRAILS
How the Railroad Made Room for Route 66 Before our sun-baked stretches of Route 66 became synonymous with adventure and connection throughout the Southwest, the railroad played a critical role...
Help identify the men who worked in the Shops
“We have a photo of many of the men who worked in the shops. They’re on a locomotive, and we would love to identify the men,” said Leba Freed, the...
Route 66 New Mexico Magazine
Trains, planes, automobiles, tractors, bicycles, a Segway and much more.By Gary Herron The 21,000-square-foot WHEELS Museum is at 1100 2nd SW, just 0.7 mile south of Central Avenue, Railroad Avenue...

Railyard Worker Commemorative Plaques. Honor a loved one who worked on the railroad, honor a WHEELS volunteer or honor the WHEELS Museum. WHEELS is now selling plaques with name plates for $100.00 per name. Keep the memory of these people alive in perpetuity with a gorgeous wooden plaque with brass name plate. Thank those who made our city and state successful, built the railroad, continue to work to preserve our history and create our future. The plaques will be displayed in the Community Room at WHEELS.

Please call (505) 243-6269 for more information.