La Fonda Lunch Menu for 1937 Banner Tour

A few weeks ago, I presented some menus from a 1937 American Express Banner Tour, noting that the tour had started by taking the Santa Fe from Chicago to Los Angeles. The tour must have taken an “Indian Detour” to the city of Santa Fe, because one of the menus in the collection was from the La Fonda. That hotel was owned by the Santa Fe Railway and leased to Fred Harvey.

Click image to download a 373-KB PDF of this menu.

This menu is pretty simple, offering a choice of halibut, calf’s liver, chicken a la king, or a cold plate. It seems like every hotel, lodge, and dining car of the era served tour groups these or similar items. While each facility would put their own twist on them, I bet tour guests got pretty tired of the limited selections.


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