[Source: Mary Clurman, Seligman Historical Society] -- When the Santa Fe Railroad built the Seligman Harvey House, ca. 1890, the company christened it Havasu. The Indian name furthered Fred Harvey's developing tradition, part of his grand vision of fine dining for the newly opened Western United States. Harvey was not only a great marketer but also a gracious host and restaurateur. The Havasu, like La Posada in Winslow, El Tovar at the Grand Canyon, as well as the now demolished Fray Marcos in Williams and Escalante in Ash Fork, offered a comfortable destination for those eager to explore the rugged West. Even as a stop-over it gave real relief from sleeping on trains and consuming the stale coffee and rancid bacon typically offered railside.In addition to the railroad's ticket office, a roundhouse and 11 tracks running through, the Havasu sported a reading room, a large, curving lunch counter, a bar, a restaurant, and 50+ well-appointed rooms for staff and travelers, plus a doctor's office and the only telephone for miles around. For truly fine dining, Harvey brought in fresh, natural produce from the nearby Del Rio ranch, preparing it in the grand European manner. The now famous Harvey Girls served from the extensive menu on delicate china, with sterling silverware, Irish linen, and flowers from the Havasu's garden.
The Havasu is still a grand building, but it's crumbling. The timber and half-timber details of its Prairie-style facade yielding to sun and wind; windows are boarded, and the red tile roof leaks here and there. The huge building is slated for demolition -- not today, but in some unspecified tomorrow. That gives local citizens a chance to save it. The best idea seems to be to get a commercial appraisal for the land alone and then make an offer to Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad, which inherited it from the old Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe. That will allow local preservation advocates to work for grants to restore the property.
Interested persons are welcome to help preserve this handsome bit of history, with its ties to the heyday of the railroad and what is now the last of America's once-Wild West. Donations are being accepted by the Seligman Historical Society, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization, at P. O. Box 51, Seligman, AZ 86337. Donations should be marked, "Havasu." For more information, visit our website.
