Mary's Hopi House gave travelers of the Santa Fe Railroad a chance to see the beauty and the peace of the Native American people. When tourists arrived they were treated to authentic Indian dance presentations performed by the Hopi people. In exchange for performing, Fred Harvey gave the dancers and artists room and board. Plus he paid them whenever a blanket, painting or piece of jewelry was sold. The Hopi House gave travelers a chance to see things they would never have seen otherwise. Travelers were educated, as well as entertained.

Travelers often left promising to return for a longer stay, and they did via the Santa Fe Railroad. Tourism began to grow in the area. Now with more rail travelers visiting The Canyon, rest stops and accommodations were needed. In 1914, Mary designed two additional buildings at the Grand Canyon: The Lookout and Hermits Rest.

The Lookout, built atop a plateau, is a place where visitors can photograph and view the canyon. Its design was similar to the Hopi House in that it captured the stonework of the Native inhabitants. Hermits Rest was also built from material found in the area. It was meant to look like a mountain hideaway, like something thrown together by a rugged mountain man. The best part was that the front porch of the building was right at the edge of the canyon. Everything about Hermit's Rest was old, rustic, and adventuresome. Mary had another hit.

Soon people weren't just satisfied with viewing The Canyon from above. They began to venture down into the canyon. Once they got there, they needed a place to rest. Mary came through again, this time with "Phantom Ranch". The next 20 years would see the Santa Fe grow into 12,000 miles of railway. The Fred Harvey Company and Mary grew along with it.

Years went by, and Mary, at age 63, was once again commissioned to design at the Grand Canyon. You may know her works as "The Watchtower" and "Bright Angel Lodge." While doing research for both, Mary visited many archeological sites and found most Watchtowers in ruin. So, when she built her Watchtower, she included a ruin to give it her own touch of authenticity.

However, the work many believed was closest to Mary's heart was the Station Hotel in Winslow, Arizona. It was called La Posada, "the resting place." Mary did the architecture, decorations and the landscaping for this sprawling rambling ranch house. One of Mary's favorite parts of designing a building was to design a history for it, too. She would make up stories about whom it belonged to and why it was built. For La Posada, the story goes, it was home to a very wealthy Spanish don and his family. Therefore, the building and surroundings had to be expansive and breathe wealth and affluence. Again, Mary hit the mark.

To wind it down and bring it closer to our home, her architecture also included decorating the Fred Harvey Restaurants at Union Station here in Los Angeles. I am sure you can see what a contribution Mary's work had on railroading. She brought pizzazz to otherwise dull and boring buildings. She utilized artwork in her designs. She helped is the Santa Fe's success by making sure rail travelers were comfortable and educated. I think you will all agree, Mary Jane Elizabeth Colter exemplifies women in railroading.

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