New Mexico - Fred Harvey Railroad Restaurant. La Fonda in Old Santa Fé: On the Indian Detour, July 11, 1948

File — Box: 4, Folder: 20

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

From the Collection:

The Menu Collection includes approximately 50 menus gathered during the travels of an unknown collector over a period of forty years or more, from the late 1950s to the late 1990s. About half of the items are from international airlines such as Air India and international cruise lines such as Holland America. The remaining menus, primarily from establishments in the United States and Mexico, range from elegant New York City restaurants, to modest diners near tourist attractions, to eating houses with a close connection to local history, such as the Buffalo Bill Tavern in Denver, Colorado. A large proportion of the menus offer examples of how businesses catering to travelers attempted to represent their home cultures to visitors. These depictions range from slightly saccharine depictions of Dutch children wearing national costumes, to dignified watercolors of Olmec and Toltec monuments in Mexico. The cultural and historical scenes are not always accurate: for example, a scene with a Pilgrim and a Native American (suggesting early colonial days on North America's eastern seaboard) is decorated with a totem pole in the style of the Haida people of the Pacific Northwest.

Dates

Creation: July 11, 1948

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Access

The material is stored off site. Please request 3 working days in advance if you wish to use it.

Extent

From the Collection: 5 Linear Feet (5 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

General

Blue and adobe-colored illustrations on front and back covers depict La Fonda with women wrapped in blankets.

Fred Harvey’s played an integral role in developing food services for railroad passengers as early as the 1870s and the continued role his business played in developing and providing subsequent dining car services into the 1960s. La Fonda’s history dates back more than 400 years. It served as an inn on the Sante Fé Trail before being acquired by the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad in 1925 and shortly thereafter leased to Fred Harvey, the owner of railroad depot restaurants along the AT&SF lines before the introduction of dining cars. Harvey is credited with establishing the first restaurant chain, with one every 100 miles along the AT&SF lines by 1890. Harvey and his family maintained contractual business ties with the AT&SF until 1960s. From the earliest days, Harvey built his reputation on serving large portions of quality foods on fine china while remaining closely tied to train schedules, coordinating with each train to allow passengers to dine and return to their trains during 30-minute stops along the route. AT&SF eventually contracted with Harvey to provide the line’s dining car services. This menu is also significant because of Fred Harvey’s major role in promoting tourism in the Southwest as early as the late 19th century. The La Fonda remains in business today as one of Santa Fé’s most prominent hotels and has won national awards for maintaining its architecturally important features, designed in the 1920s by one of the earliest women architects in the United States. Contents: The name Fred Harvey appears prominently on the menu cover, as does his tourism slogan, “On the Indian Detour.” More than 20 entrée selections; nearly as many appetizers and soups; 6 salads; and 13 dessert options. “Typical Mexican Foods – Menu on Request.” “Dinner Dancing Nightly, except Sunday, 8:00 p.m. till midnight.”