Needles, California, 1923—a Harvey Girl, a Moral Dilemma, and a Choice
Before you meet Caroline, the young Harvey Girl at the heart of my free short story download, it helps to understand the world she lived in…
During the steam engine era, trains stopped about every 100 miles for water and maintenance. To serve passengers during these stops, Fred Harvey partnered with the ATSF Railway to build Harvey Houses—clean, reliable luxury hotels and dining rooms inside train depots along the route. El Garces in Needles, California, built in 1908, was one of the last and most elegant in the chain. Harvey Girls were hired to staff these establishments and were contracted to maintain strict codes of conduct, including rules around dress, behavior, and decorum. Their presence brought professionalism, hospitality, and a sense of refinement to remote rail stops across the American Southwest.
My free short story download, Iced Water Free by the Glass, takes place at El Garces in 1923 and follows Caroline, a young Harvey Girl, as she considers the choice she must make in the face of an ethical dilemma, when law and conscience don’t align.
Toggle between the two pages of images in the carousel at the top of the homepage and click on each one to view early twentieth-century photographs of the El Garces Harvey House and railway depot in my hometown of Needles, California. Each image opens to an enlarged view and a short narration about its history—some with connections to my story. You’ll also learn how the steam engine era led Fred Harvey to build an empire of luxury hotels and elegant dining rooms for rail travelers in communities along the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe line. Iced Water Free by the Glass is meticulously researched and as true to life inside a Harvey House as I was able to make it.
Click the button for my free short story download: Iced Water Free by the Glass
