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Information updated September 8, 2009
| Chanute, KS | 
Opened
approximately 1896, closed in 1931 Formerly the division headquarters for
the Santa Fe's Southern Kansas Division, Chanute's decline began during the
early 1940's but not before a large Harvey House was built. The building
now serves as a Public Library.
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| Coolidge, KS |
A lunch and dining room opened or closed in Coolidge in 1880 (sources vary). When we passed through Coolidge in October 2001, there was no sign of any railroad station or other railroad structure. |
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Dodge City, KS -- El Vaquero |
Station opened in 1896, Hotel opened in 1900, closed in 1948. One of the larger Harvey Houses in Kansas, similar is style to Chanute, KS. The building was donated to Dodge Development/Ford County a couple of years ago (date anyone??) Amtrak has an unstaffed stop at Dodge for the Southwest Chief. Approximately $9 million is being spent at Dodge City for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of El Vaquero, including a grant from the Kansas Department of Transportation from federal TEA funds. Photos of El Vaquero reconstruction taken by webiste in October 2001. |
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Emporia, KS |
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| Florence, KS -- Clifton House |
 The first of the Fred Harvey Company's hotels,
established in 1878, now a Museum and Restaurant. (In Topeka, Mr. Harvey
operated a restaurant for the Santa Fe Railway.) The Clifton House was moved
from the site near the tracks to the current site 221 Marion Street, Florence,
KS 66851 (One block west of Main Street on the corner of 3rd and Marion
Streets.)
The Museum consists of approximately one third of the original building. It includes the kitchen, dining room and several sleeping rooms. The Museum now serves meals, prepared from original Harvey House recipes. The five course meals are served by costumed "Harvey Girls". The charge covers the meal, gratuity, a tour of the museum and a short presentation about the founder, Fred Harvey. The meal and tour is for groups only and only by advanced reservation. More
pictures of the Clifton House. |
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Fort Scott, KS |
There was a Fred Harvey newsstand here from 1896 to 1930. One of 19 newsstands located along the St. Louis & San Francisco RR (the Frisco), a subsidiary of the ATSF until 1897. Now they do a play there called "How the West Was Fed! |
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Garden City, KS |
 No Harvey House here, but a small station.Here is a 2001 picture of the current Amtrak stop in
Garden City. Since this picture was taken, the Garden City Amtrak station has been extensively repaired and restored.
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| Hutchison, KS -- El Bisonte |
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Lakin, KS |
 The lunchroom and dining room opened in 1879 and closed
in 1880, so we didn't expect to find anything. We didn't see anything by the
railroad tracks and then went to the Lakin Museum, where we found this old
depot. The depot seems to be a 20th century design, and more appropriate in
our experience to Southern Pacific stations in California. The Museum was not
open, so we couldn't ask any questions.
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Leavenworth, KS |
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| Newton, KS |
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| Syracuse, KS --The Sequoyah |  The Sequoyah opened in 1908; it closed in 1936. When
the community approached the Santa Fe Railway to acquire the station for a
museum, they were told it was "too close to the tracks." Then the
railroad tore it down. I saw a really nice photo of the Syracuse HH at
Sacramento's Rail Fair '99. We visited the local historical society, which
had a number of Harvey artifacts, including the hotel's register, some
pictures and an artist rendering of the Sequoyah. They were most gracious to
your webiste, and the Museum is worth a visit. They allowed me to use the
photograph you see to the left. The Link is to an old postcard. If you've got
some info about this HH, email me.
The daughter-in-law of a Harvey Chef dropped me a line on July 30, 2004, with some interesting history and photos of the Sequoyah and its staff before World War I. Thank you, Mrs. Reynolds! |
Topeka, KS |
Opened in 1876; closed in 1940. The second of Mr. Harvey's restaurants, replacing the Santa Fe's original restaurant. |
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Wellington, KS |
 
The Wellington Harvey House and AT & SF station opened in 1883, and closed in 1939. The Harvey House and the station were torn down in 1965 according to local sources to build a new office. Nothing remains of the imposing stone structures. These two postcards were sent by Jami Kuchar. |
| Wichita, KS |  Wichita Union station opened before 1914.The Harvey lunch and dining room closed in 1935. Paul Soutar answered my plea for info about the Station, including photos and a postcard and the word that the building is recycled and in current use as a Cox (Cable) Company office. Recent information (September 8, 2009) is that Cox no longer uses the building. Anyone know of the current disposition? |
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Emporia's is a particularly sad story. Not only is
the Harvey House (opened 1880, closed 1937) gone, torn down for a parking
lot, but the station, a magnificent limestone building, burned down in 1999,
after having been vacant for over a decade. Now Emporia has no Harvey Hotel,
no station, and no train service! All that remains are a 
The Bisonte was the name of the Harvey Hotel and
Santa Fe station in Hutchison. Built in 1906, it closed in 1946. The building
no longer exists. About 50 years or so ago it was torn down. There is now a
more modern looking brick station which apparently replaced it and is now
used by Amtrak (no staff) and the regional transit company. On the original
site, Walnut between 2nd and 3rd, there is now a hotel, Hutchison Downtown
Inn and Suites.
Mr. Harvey settled in
Leavenworth, raising his family there. A Harvey newsstand existed here
from approximately 1900 to 1923. The Harvey Home has been established as a 
The Arcade Hotel (opened in 1900 replaced an earlier
structure built in 1883) has found new life in the Amtrak Age. Still a
staffed train station, it now hosts a law firm in the old Harvey dining area.
A very helpful Amtrak agent informed me that the Harvey Company owned a