Wanted: Young women 18 to 30 years of age, of good character, attractive and intelligent. Let's face it: In the 1880s, American ladies didn't have a lot of choices. What was an adventurous girl to do? Many headed to the Southwest. The Harvey Girls were single women who answered newspaper advertisements in the Midwest and the East to go into the Arizona and New Mexico territories to work as waitresses for Fred Harvey and his hotel/restaurant chain. Between 1883 and 1950, nearly 100,000 women came west to work. They could serve a four-course meal in less than 30 minutes. In the process, they became part of the first significant female workforce in the United States. Check out this exhibit about the Harvey Girls' contribution to Arizona's growth.