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Thursday, June 28, 2012

Harvey Girls





In 1875, businessman Fred Harvey (1835-1901) opened two restaurants in Kansas and Oklahoma along the Kansas Pacific Railway. At that time, the railways did not serve food on trains and Harvey's restaurants quickly became popular with travelers. Within a few years, Harvey contracted with the Santa Fe Railway to build and operate restaurants at dozens of stops throughout the Southwest. The Harvey House chain operated until the 1960s and at its height included 84 restaurants stretching from Kansas to California.
In 1883, Harvey implemented a policy of employing a female white only serving staff. He sought out single, well-mannered, and educated American ladies, and placed ads in newspapers throughout the east coast and midwest for "white, young women, 18 to 30 years of age, of good character, attractive and intelligent". The girls were paid $17.50 a month (approximately $436 in today's terms) to start, plus room, board, and tips, a generous income by the standards of the time.
In a mythology that has grown around the Harvey Houses, these female employees are said to have helped to "civilize the American Southwest". This legend found its highest expression in The Harvey Girls, a 1942 novel by Samuel Hopkins Adams, and, more notably, the 1946 MGM musical which was inspired by it. The film stars Judy Garland and Angela Lansbury, and it was directed by George Sidney. It introduced the Johnny Mercer song "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe."






Harvey Girls Rules

Must be single the length of the contract
Must live in dorm on site
Must have a manicure once a week
Must never have a man in the dorms
Must keep uniforms spotless
Orange juice must be freshly squeezed
Must keep dorms dusted
Must obey 10 pm curfew
Must not wear any makeup
No jewelry
All silver must be polished continually
Mandatory haïr nets
Never talk to the patrons
Coffee must be fresh
Napkins must be precisely folded
Tables must be set precisely
Must be courteous to patrons always





Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Route 66


ROUTE 66


If you ever plan to motor west,

travel my way, take the highway that is best.

Get your kicks on Route sixty-six.


It winds from Chicago to LA,

more than two thousand miles all the way.

Get your kicks on Route sixty-six.


Now you go though Saint Looey

Joplin, Missouri,

and Oklahoma City is mighty pretty.

You see Amarillo,

Gallup, New Mexico,

Flagstaff, Arizona.

Don't forget Winona,

Kingman, Barstow, San Bernandino.


Won't you get hip to this timely tip:

when you make that California trip

Get your kicks on Route sixty-six.


solo


Now you go though Saint Looey

Joplin, Missouri,

and Oklahoma City is mighty pretty.

You see Amarillo,

Gallup, New Mexico,

Flagstaff, Arizona.

Don't forget Winona,

Kingman, Barstow, San Bernandino.


Won't you get hip to this timely tip:

when you make that California trip

Get your kicks on Route sixty-six.

Get your kicks on Route sixty-six.

Get your kicks on Route sixty-six.


- Bobby Troup, 1946

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Trike on!


WHY RIDE TRIKES?

  • Stability - loose gravel, sand, ice, tire blowouts, etc. will not send a trike crashing to the ground.

  • Ride during the winter - hitting a patch of ice is fun on a trike.

  • Do you have trouble balancing? No problem with a trike.

  • Leaning into the turns makes cornering on a trike fun. They handle like a sports car. 

  • Pull up to a stop and never put your foot down on the road

  • Motorists give you a wider berth when passing - primarily out of sheer curiosity.

  • No need for a kickstand or leaning post.

  • Instant celebrity status  - people will know who you are.

  • Great platform for attaching fairings and accessories.

www.terratrike.com

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Sunday, February 12, 2012

1943 Steel War Penny



The 1943 steel cent, also known as a steel war penny or steelie, was a variety of the U.S. one-cent coin which was struck in steel due to wartime shortages of copper. It was designed by Victor D. Brenner.

Due to wartime needs of copper for use in ammunition and other military equipment during World War II, including windings for massive uranium gas separation magnets as part of the Manhattan Project, the United States Mint researched various ways to limit dependence and meet conservation goals on copper usage. After trying out several substitutes (ranging from other metals to plastics) to replace the then-standard bronze alloy, the one-cent coin was minted in zinc-coated steel. It was struck at all three mints: Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco. Coins from the latter two sites have respectively "D" and "S" mintmarks below the date.

However, problems began to arise from the mintage. Freshly minted, they were often mistaken for dimes. Magnets in vending machines (which took copper cents) placed to pick up steel slugs also picked up the legitimate steel cents. Because the galvanization process didn't cover the edges of the coins, sweat would quickly rust the metal. After public outcry, the Mint developed a process whereby salvaged brass shell casings were augmented with pure copper to produce an alloy close to the 1941–42 composition. This was used for 1944–46-dated cents, after which the prewar composition was resumed. Although they continued to circulate in the 1960s, the mint collected large numbers of the 1943 cents and destroyed them.


-Wikipedia

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

American Bison


"In America today, all wild things and wilderness 
                         hang by the slender thread of individuals giving a damn."
Dale F. Lott in "American Bison"













Friday, December 30, 2011




Under segregation black people were generally denied access to public libraries in the Southern United States. Rather than insisting on his libraries being racially integrated, he funded separate libraries for African Americans. For example, at Houston he funded a separate Colored Carnegie Library.
                                                                                                                                         -Wikipedia